LOAN 

EXHIBITION 
OF  THE 
)■  PIERPONT 
MORGAN 
COLLECTION 


THE 

METROPOLITAN  MVSEVM 
OF  ART 


I 


THE  METROPOLITAN  MUSEUM 
OF  ART  :  GUIDE  TO  THE 
LOAN  EXHIBITION  OF 
THE  J.  PIERPONT 
MORGAN  COL¬ 
LECTION 


NEW  YORK 
M  C  M  X I V 


COPYRIGHT 

BY 

THE  METROPOLITAN  MUSEUM  OF  ART 
FEBRUARY,  1  9  I 4 


me  etm  cme* 


INTRODUCTION 


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THE  J.  PIERPONT  MORGAN 
COLLECTION 

INTRODUCTION 


i  HE  exhibition  which,  through  the  courtesy  of  Mr. 
J.  P.  Morgan,  the  Metropolitan  Museum  now  offers  to 
its  visitors,  and  which  is  described  in  the  following  pages, 
is  spoken  of  as  the  “Morgan  Collection.”  It  is,  however, 
only  that  part  of  his  collection — or  more  properly  collec¬ 
tions— which  the  late  Mr.  Morgan  allowed  to  accumulate 
in  Europe,  and  sent  to  this  country  during  the  year  be¬ 
fore  he  died.  To  form  an  idea  of  the  extent  of  his  col¬ 
lections  in  their  entirety,  it  should  be  remembered  that 
in  addition  to  what  is  now  placed  on  view,  there  is  in  the 
Museum  a  vast  amount  of  material  belonging  to  them, 
distributed  through  its  various  departments,  such,  for 
example,  as  the  large  gallery  of  Chinese  porcelains,  the 
rich  and  important  Hoentschel  collection  of  mediaeval 
works  of  art,  the  Merovingian  and  Germanic  antiquities, 
many  paintings  exhibited  in  our  picture  galleries,  and  in¬ 
dividual  objects  in  our  Egyptian  and  Classical  collections; 
and  besides  all  these  there  are  the  treasures  in  his  Library 
— books,  manuscripts,  prints,  drawings,  medals,  as  well  as 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
the  works  of  art,  chiefly  Italian,  which  adorn  its  walls  and 
cabinets. 

Had  such  an  assemblage  represented  the  results  of 
several  generations  of  a  family  of  collectors,  it  would  have 
been  a  most  remarkable  achievement,  but  formed  as  it 
was  by  one  man,  and  during  a  comparatively  short 
period  of  his  life,  it  is  probably  without  parallel  in  the 
history  of  collecting,  as  there  is  to-day  no  collection 
which  in  range,  variety,  and  the  high  average  of  quality 
outranks  it.  Mr.  Morgan  always  had  a  passionate  love 
for  beautiful  things,  but  although  he  began  to  acquire  these 
in  his  student-days,  it  was  not  until  the  latter  years  of  his 
life,  when  he  relaxed  somewhat  his  close  attention  to  busi¬ 
ness,  that  he  gave  full  play  to  his  ambition  as  a  collector. 
During  that  time  he  purchased  with  almost  feverish  zeal, 
willingly  pursued  by  dealers  wherever  he  went,  they  know¬ 
ing  it  was  well  worth  while  to  save  their  best  things  for 
him,  prince  of  collectors  as  he  was  in  more  ways  than  one. 
In  many  cases,  of  course,  he  bought  individual  objects  as 
they  were  offered  to  him,  but  it  was  also  part  of  his  policy 
to  secure  entire  collections  when  he  could,  and  when  he 
knew  them  to  be  of  recognized  high  quality,  and  thus  he 
often  reaped  the  benefit  of  a  lifetime  of  patient  and  ex¬ 
pert  collecting  in  some  special  branch.  A  characteristic 
instance  of  his  methods  he  used  to  describe  with  great 
enjoyment,  his  story  being  as  follows:  “I  heard  that 
Mr.  So-and-so  had  a  certain  object  in  nis  collection  that 

viii 


INTRODUCTION 

I  was  very  anxious  to  secure,  and  in  the  hope  of  being 
able  to  buy  it,  I  obtained  an  invitation  to  visit  the  col¬ 
lection,  which  I  had  never  seen.  But  when  I  saw  what 
treasures  the  man  had,  I  said  to  myself,  ‘What  is  the  use 
of  bothering  about  one  little  piece  when  I  might  get  them 
all?’  So  I  asked  him  at  once  if  he  would  take  so  much 
for  his  entire  collection;  he  said  he  would,  and  I  bought 
it  then  and  there.”  Another  important  collection,  this 
time  one  which  he  knew  well,  he  bought  as  he  was  getting 
into  his  automobile  to  take  the  steamer  for  Europe. 
Just  at  that  moment  a  dealer  came  along  and  told  him 
the  collection  was  for  sale.  “Very  well,”  said  Mr.  Mor¬ 
gan,  “if  you  are  authorized  to  negotiate  for  it,  you  may 
buy  it  for  me,”  and  with  that,  off  he  went. 

The  present  exhibition  consists  entirely  of  material 
which  has  never  been  seen  in  this  country  before,  with  the 
exception  of  the  paintings,  which  have  been  shown  in  our 
Gallery  of  Special  Exhibitions  during  the  past  year,  and 
five  Gobelin  tapestries.  It  comes  from  his  London  res¬ 
idence,  No.  13  Prince’s  Gate;  his  country  seat,  Dover 
House,  near  Putney;  the  Victoria  and  Albert  Museum  at 
South  Kensington;  the  National  Gallery,  where  the 
Raphael  hung  for  a  number  of  years,  and  Paris,  where 
many  things  were  stored  from  the  time  when  he  purchased 
them.  All  this  part  of  his  collections  is  therefore  now 
brought  together  for  the  first  time,  and  it  is  doubly  to  be 
regretted  that  he  could  not  have  lived  to  see  them  thus 


IX 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
exhibited,  for  it  may  well  be  doubted  whether  even  he 
realized  what  a  bewildering  abundance  of  splendid  objects 
he  had  accumulated,  or  what  a  display  they  were  ca¬ 
pable  of  making. 

A  summary  of  the  component  parts  of  the  exhibition 
was  given  in  the  Museum  Bulletin  for  last  June,  when 
Mr.  Morgan’s  son,  the  present  owner  of  the  collection, 
announced  his  consent  to  the  holding  of  a  temporary  ex¬ 
hibition  of  all  the  objects  which  had  been  sent  over.  As 
they  are  more  fully  described  in  the  Guide  itself,  this 
introduction  may  be  confined  to  a  general  account  of  their 
arrangement. 

In  the  installation  of  the  Morgan  collection,  an  ar¬ 
rangement  has  been  followed  which  is  based  mainly  upon 
the  chronological  sequence  of  the  material  exhibited, 
though  it  has  not  been  possible  to  adhere  strictly  to  this 
system  in  all  details.  The  tapestries,  for  example,  of  which 
there  are  thirty-six,  could  not  all  be  crowded  into  the 
rooms  to  which  their  periods  would  assign  them,  and  the 
exhibition  as  a  whole  would  have  lost  much  of  its  effective¬ 
ness  had  this  been  attempted.  They  have  therefore  been 
distributed  through  the  various  rooms  and  corridors 
frankly  for  decorative  effect,  where  they  would  show  to 
the  best  advantage,  and  where  they  would  best  serve 
their  purpose  to  enliven  the  background,  keeping  the 
various  types  in  places  where  they  would  harmonize  with 
the  objects  about  them. 


x 


INTRODUCTION 

With  the  chronological  sequence  as  a  basis,  the  gal¬ 
leries  are  arranged  as  follows: 

11  ANCIENT  ART:  Egyptian,  Greek  and 
Roman  bronzes,  ivories,  etc.,  Byzantine  and 
Romanesque  ivories  and  enamels,  Arabic  and 
Persian  glass. 

12  THE  GOTHIC  ROOM.  Mediaeval 
sculptures  in  various  materials,  ivories,  enamels 
and  reliquaries. 

13  FIRST  RENAISSANCE  ROOM,  the 
chief  feature  being  the  collection  of  bronzes,  with 
Della  Robbia  terra-cottas  and  the  triptych  by 
Filippo  Lippi. 

14  THE  LARGE  RENAISSANCE 
ROOM.  In  the  centre  of  the  main  wall  the 
Raphael,  and  this  and  the  other  walls  lined  with 
cases  of  Italian  majolicas  with  two  reliefs,  by 
Rossellino  and  Donatello,  above  them.  On  the 
floor,  cases  of  reliquaries,  crystals  and  Renaissance 
glass. 

15  LATER  RENAISSANCE;  paintings  by  Van 
Dyck  and  the  Dutch  School,  boxwood  and  hone- 
stone  carvings,  later  Limoges  enamels,  and  jewelry. 

16  XVI-XVI 1 1  CENTURIES;  paintings,  gold 
and  silver  plate,  ivories,  enamels,  etc. 

1 7  Called  the  “ENGLISH”  ROOM,  because  the 
dominating  feature  is  the  English  paintings,  though 


xi 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
the  furniture  and  other  objects  in  the  room  are 
French  of  the  XVIII  century,  there  being  no 
English  decorative  works  of  this  period  in  the 
collection. 

18  FRENCH,  XVI  I  I  CENTU  RY,  the  walls 
hung  with  Gobelin  and  Beauvais  tapestries,  and  the 
furniture  and  other  objects  in  the  room  being 
French  of  that  period. 

19  TH  E  "FRAGONARD”  ROOM.  It  was 
the  late  Mr.  Morgan’s  wish  that  the  famous  Frago¬ 
nard  panels  from  Grasse  should  be  exhibited  in  the 
Museum  in  an  exact  reproduction  of  the  room 
in  which  they  were  hung  in  Prince’s  Gate,  and 
thanks  to  the  co-operation  of  his  son  this  has 
been  done  with  the  actual  woodwork  of  the 
room  itself.  The  only  change  is  that  for  the 
fireplace  which  stood  in  the  house,  a  doorway 
has  been  substituted,  to  admit  of  free  passage¬ 
way  through  the  room. 

20  FRENCH  PORCELAINS. 

21  THE  COLLECTION  OF  WATCHES. 

22  GERMAN  PORCELAINS. 

23  THE  COLLECTION  OF  MINIATURES. 

As  to  the  decorative  treatment  of  the  galleries  to  serve 

as  a  setting  for  this  great  variety  of  material,  that  will 
explain  itself  to  those  who  visit  the  exhibition,  and  it  is 
difficult  to  describe  adequately  to  those  who  do  not. 

xii 


FLOOR  PLAN 

SHOWING  ARRANGEMENT  OF  COLLECTIONS 


INTRODUCTION 

Briefly  it  may  be  said  that  the  walls  of  Galleries  1 1 — 1 6 
have  been  hung  with  inexpensive  materials  of  different 
shades  and  textures,  with  a  view  to  avoiding  monotony 
of  effect,  and  also  to  harmonizing  with  the  tones  of  the 
objects  which  predominate  in  each  room.  The  two 
XVIII  century  rooms,  17  and  18,  have  been  given  a  paneled 
effect,  the  one  painted  a  soft  English  green  and  the  other 
a  French  gray.  The  walls  of  the  galleries  around  the 
area  are  finished  with  a  rough  plaster  surface,  tinted  in  a 
creamy  tone,  as  an  appropriate  background  for  the  tapes¬ 
tries  which  surround  them,  and  a  color  which  should  not 
be  too  sombre  for  the  porcelains;  and  the  Miniature  Room 
is  covered  with  a  soft,  greenish-gray  fabric,  hung  in 
straight  folds. 

The  work  of  installation  has  been  shared  by  various 
members  of  our  staff.  The  general  plan  of  arrangement 
and  the  decorative  scheme  were  decided  upon  by  a  sort 
of  committee  consisting  of  the  Director  and  Messrs. 
Valentiner,  Burroughs,  Breck  and  Friedley.  The  min¬ 
iatures  have  been  arranged  by  Mr.  Burroughs,  and  the 
ancient  bronzes  by  Miss  Richter.  But  as  the  bulk  of  the 
material  consists  of  objects  belonging  to  the  Decorative 
Arts,  so  the  burden  of  the  work  has  fallen  upon  that 
department  of  the  Museum,  and  to  Messrs.  Valentiner, 
Breck  and  Friedley  belongs  the  principal  credit  for  the 
result  produced. 

The  preparation  of  the  Guide  has  been  distributed  as 

xiii 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
follows:  Gallery  1 1  is  described  by  Gisela  M.  A.  Richter 
and  Robert  T.  Nichol,  No.  12  by  Robert  T.  Nichol, 
Nos.  13  and  14  by  Joseph  Breck,  No.  .5  by  W.  R.  Val- 
entiner,  Nos.  16  and  21  by  Bruce  M.  Donaldson,  Nos. 
17,  18,  20  and  22  by  Durr  Friedley,  and  Nos.  19  and  23 
by  Bryson  Burroughs. 

In  conclusion,  it  is  an  especial  satisfaction  to  record  the 
fact  that,  with  the  exception  of  the  manufacture  of  the 
materials  used  on  the  walls,  all  the  mechanical  labor  of 
installation  has  been  performed  by  the  Museum’s  own 
force.  The  Museum  may  well  be  proud  of  having  in  its 
employ  a  force  of  mechanics  who  responded  so  readily  and 
so  intelligently  to  the  extraordinary  call  that  has  been 
made  upon  them  during  the  months  that  this  installation 
has  been  in  progress. 

Edward  Robinson. 


xiv 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Introduction . v 

Guide . i 

Gallery  1 1,  Ancient  Art: 

Egyptian . 4 

Greek  and  Roman . 4 

Byzantine  and  Romanesque  .  .  1 1 

Arabic  and  Persian . 21 

Gallery  12, 

Gothic  Period . 27 

Gallery  13, 

Renaissance  Period . 39 

Gallery  14, 

Renaissance  Period . 51 

Gallery  15, 


The  Northern  Renaissance  and  Baroque  Periods  69 
Gallery  16, 

The  Baroque  Period . 81 

Gallery  17, 

Eighteenth-Century,  English  and  French  .  .  103 

Gallery  18, 

Eighteenth-Century,  French  .  .  .  .111 

xvii 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Gallery  19, 

The  Fragonard  Room . 117 

Gallery  20, 

French  Porcelains . 1 2 1 

Gallery  21, 

The  Collection  of  Watches . 127 

Gallery  22, 

German  Porcelains . >35 

Gallery  23, 

The  Collection  of  Miniatures  .  .  .  1 39 

Bibliography . >53 


xviii 


GUIDE  TO 
TH  E 

COLLECTION 


GALLERY  ELEVEN 


CENTAUR,  ARCHAIC  GREEK 
ROOM  II,  CASE  B 


GREEK  MIRROR 
V  CENTURY  B.  C. 
ROOM  II,  CASE  B 


GALLERY  ELEVEN 
CLASSICAL,  BYZANTINE 
AND  ROMANESQUE 
PERIODS 


In  Cases  A-E  have  been  placed  Mr.  Morgan’s  collection 
of  CLASSICAL  ANTIQUITIES.  Of  these  by 
far  the  most  numerous  are  the  ancient  BRONZES, 
which  number  in  all  ninety-four  pieces.  They  consist 
not  only  of  statuettes,  but  of  all  manner  of  household 
articles  and  utensils,  such  as  lamps,  mirrors,  vases,  horse- 
trappings,  strigils,  ladles,  weights,  and  ornaments  from 
couches,  thus  illustrating  the  manifold  uses  to  which 
bronze  was  put  in  antiquity.1  Such  utensils  are  not  only 
interesting  on  account  of  the  light  they  throw  on  the 
daily  life  and  customs  of  the  ancients,  but  because  each 
is  an  artistic  product  in  itself.  For  it  is  one  of  the  dis¬ 
tinguishing  traits  of  antiquity  that  the  decorative  instinct 
pervaded  all  classes  of  the  community,  and  was  shared 
alike  by  the  simple  artisans  and  the  sculptors  and 
painters. 

The  majority  of  these  bronzes  belong  to  the  Roman 

•These  have  been  catalogued  by  Cecil  H.  Smith  in  a  large  folio 
volume,  fully  illustrated. 


3 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
period;  but  the  earlier  periods  are  also  represented,  occa¬ 
sionally  by  examples  of  the  first  order. 

Case  A  In  Case  A  have  been  assembled  a  few  Egyptian 
bronzes,  all  dating  from  the  Ptolemaic  and  Roman 
periods.  The  most  important  is  a  large  statuette  of  a 
Seated  Cat,  in  splendid  preservation  and  of  good  exe¬ 
cution. 

Case  B  The  bronzes  of  Greek  workmanship  will  be  found 
chiefly  in  Case  B.  The  earliest  is  a  remarkable  little 
group  of  a  Centaur  and  man  (perhaps  to  be  identified 
with  Pholos  greeting  Herakles),  dating  from  about  the 
eighth  century  B.  C.  It  is  of  very  primitive  style,  but  of 
great  importance  on  account  of  the  rarity  both  of  grouped 
statuettes  and  of  mythological  scenes  at  so  early  a  period. 
The  base  has  on  its  under  side  a  number  of  engraved  lines 
and  a  zigzag  pattern  in  openwork,  so  that  the  group 
probably  served  as  a  seal. 

A  beautiful  example  of  Greek  archaic  art  (sixth  century 
B.  C.)  is  the  statuette  of  a  galloping  Centaur  about  to 
throw  a  peculiar  object  which  he  holds  in  both  hands. 
The  modelling  shows  great  vigor,  and  the  rapid  forward 
motion  is  admirably  represented. 

Other  important  pieces  are  a  fifth-century  mirror  sup¬ 
ported  on  a  stand  in  the  shape  of  a  female  figure,  of  good 
workmanship  and  rare  completeness;  the  cover  of  a  mirror 
decorated  with  a  charming  toilet  scene;  a  remarkable  figure 
of  a  draped  warrior,  of  the  sixth  century  B.  C.;  the  handle 

4 


GALLERY  ELEVEN 

of  a  vase  with  the  fore-part  of  a  Siren  on  the  lower  attach¬ 
ment;  and  a  large  statuette  of  a  nude  warrior  of  fourth- 
century  style. 

The  bronzes  of  Roman  workmanship,  whether  re¬ 
producing  earlier  Greek  types  or  new  creations  of  the 
period,  have  been  placed  chiefly  in  Cases  D  and  E, 
though  some  will  also  be  found  in  Cases  A  and  B.  A  fine 
example  is  the  large  statuette  of  Dionysos,  15 %  inches 
high,  represented  as  a  smiling  boy  wearing  a  panther’s 
skin.  The  other  statuettes  include  several  figures  of 
Aphrodite,  Hermes,  Victory,  Eros,  Harpokrates,  and  Lar, 
all  favorite  subjects  of  that  period.  There  are  several 
excellent  specimens  of  Roman  lamps,  suspended  from 
chains,  and  jugs,  chiefly  from  Boscoreale,  some  covered 
with  the  beautiful  dark  blue  patina  which  distinguishes 
many  bronzes  from  that  site. 

Besides  bronzes,  Mr.  Morgan’s  collection  includes  a 
few  specimens  of  classical  art  in  other  materials.  There 
are  two  charming  examples  of  Tanagra  statuettes,  both 
of  standing,  draped  women,  in  excellent  preservation 
and  of  unusual  size.  Two  marble  statuettes  represent 
Aphrodite,  one,  partly  draped,  is  an  attractive  piece  of 
fourth-century  style,  the  other  is  a  somewhat  indiffer¬ 
ent  Roman  work  reminiscent  of  the  Knidian  Aphro¬ 
dite.  Of  special  interest  is  a  group  of  silver  vases  and 
utensils,  delicately  worked  in  the  style  of  the  later  Greek 
period.  They  consist  of  two  cups,  a  ladle,  a  safety  pin, 

5 


Cases 
A,  B,  D,  E 


Case  C 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
and  a  dipping  rod,  and  are  said  to  have  been  found 
together  in  a  tomb  at  Olbia. 

I n  addition  should  be  mentioned  some  MISCELLA¬ 
NEOUS  PIECES  of  gold  jewelry,  a  few  silver  and 
faience  statuettes,  three  pieces  of  glass  (in  Case  K),  of 
which  one  is  a  bowl  with  several  figures  roughly  incised,  an 
amber  relief,  and  three  terracotta  vases.  Of  the  latter  the 
most  interesting  is  a  jug  with  trefoil  mouth  covered  with  a 
greenish  vitreous  glaze.  It  is  decorated  with  a  spirited 
scene  in  relief  of  dancing  figures,  caricatured  in  the 
exaggerated  manner  prevalent  in  late  Greek  and  Roman 
times. 

In  Case  C  will  be  found  a  piece  of  unusual  interest  and 
importance.  It  has  been  restored  as  a  seat  with  curved 
rests  decorated  with  bone  carvings  and  glass  inlay; 
but  it  must  originally  have  been  considerably  longer  and 
have  served  as  a  COUCH,  in  which  case  the  two 
curved  rests  would  have  had  more  use  and  the  whole 
be  better  proportioned.  This  form  of  couch  is  that 
adopted  by  the  Romans  from  the  Greeks,  and  pop¬ 
ular  with  them  down  to  the  end  of  the  first  century 
A.  D.  A  number  of  examples  with  bronze  fittings  are 
known,  but  specimens  with  bone  decorations  are  rarer, 
the  best  known  having  been  found  at  Norcia,  Ancona, 
and  Orvieto,  of  which  the  last  is  now  in  the  Field 
Museum  at  Chicago.  The  bone  carvings,  both  on  the 
seat  and  on  the  stool  (which  is  exhibited  in  the  same 

6 


PART  OF  A  ROMAN  COUCH 
ROOM  I  I,  CASE  C 


BYZANTINE  SILVER  DISH 
VI  CENTURY  A.  D. 
ROOM  II,  CASE  I 


GALLERY  ELEVEN 

case),  are  of  rough  workmanship,  but  combine  well  with 
the  gaily  colored  mosaic  inlay  to  give  the  richness  of 
effect  so  appreciated  by  the  Roman  temperament.  With 
this  piece  should  be  compared  a  few  fragments  of  bone 
and  ivory  carvings,  belonging  approximately  to  the  same 
period,  which  have  been  placed  in  Case  L  of  the  same 
gallery. 

In  the  summer  of  1902,  two  Greek  peasants  living 
at  Karavds,  in  the  island  of  Cyprus,  came  upon  a 
TREASURE  consisting  of  eleven  silver  dishes  and  a  quan¬ 
tity  of  gold  jewelry.  Five  of  'the  dishes  and  a  few 
pieces  of  the  jewelry  were  kept  in  Cyprus,  and  are  now 
housed  in  the  Nicosia  Museum.  The  rest,  after  various 
vicissitudes,  became  the  property  of  Mr.  Morgan.  This 
part  of  the  treasure  is  now  exhibited  in  Case  I.  The  Case  I 
six  plates,  of  which  the  largest  is  about  20  inches  in 
diameter,  are  decorated  with  scenes  from  the  Biblical 
story  of  David.  The  jewelry  consists  of  necklaces,  brace¬ 
lets,  earrings,  and  a  girdle  of  gold  medallions  and  coins 
ranging  in  date  from  408  to  685  A.  D.  This  treasure 
is  of  unique  importance  in  illustrating  by  a  series  of 
splendid  monuments  the  silversmith’s  art  in  the  early 
Byzantine  period  (about  the  sixth  century  A.  D.),  which 
had  heretofore  been  scantily  represented.  It  shows  the 
dependence  of  that  art  on  classical  models  and  forms 
an  important  link  between  the  early  Christian  monu¬ 
ments  and  the  Byzantine  art  of  the  ninth  and  tenth 

7 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
centuries.  With  regard  to  its  artistic  merit,  the  com¬ 
positions  show  little  inspiration,  but  every  piece  is 
beautifully  worked,  and  we  may  surmise  that  the 
whole  treasure  was  the  product  of  a  skilled  and  painstaking 
artisan.  Eortunately  the  preservation  is  astonishingly 
good,  and  with  the  exception  of  a  little  corrosion  in  a  few 
places,  the  pieces  look  as  if  they  might  have  been  made 
yesterday. 

Room  1 1  contains  besides  the  five  cases  (A,  B,  C,  D,  E) 
of  objects  of  Ancient  Art  described  above,  several  other 
cases  and  many  individual  objects  illustrative  of  some  of 
the  decorative  arts  between  the  fifth  and  fourteenth  cen¬ 
turies.  All  of  these  are  of  European  origin  except  the 
single  case  (R.  1 1,  Case  L)  which  contains  very  beautiful 
examples  of  Syrian  enameled  glass  mosque  lamps,  etc., 
manufactured  principally  in  Syria  for  distribution  through 
the  countries  of  the  Levant,  notably  Egypt,  under  the 
Mameluke  Sultans,  and  other  parts  of  the  Mohammedan 
East — between  the  thirteenth  and  sixteenth  centuries. 
The  other  cases  contain  almost  exclusively  examples  of 
the  great  Byzantine  and  Gothic  schools  of  Mediaeval 
Europe  in  Enamel  and  Carved  Ivories. 

The  separate  objects  comprise  Tapestries,  Carpets, 
Vases,  Statuettes,  and  two  large  screen-pieces  consisting 
of  small  ivory  plaques,  forming  each  a  narrative  sequence. 

By  enameling  we  understand  the  method  of  decorating 
the  surface  of  metal  (usually  gold,  silver  or  copper)  with 

8 


GALLERY  ELEVEN 

vitrified  colors,  that  is,  colors  reduced  by  the  action  of 
fire  to  the  consistency  of  glass. 

Of  this  method  there  are  three  main  processes  (in 
chronological  order) — cloisonne,  champleve,  and  painted 
enamel.  The  first  is  always  the  process  used  in  the 
Byzantine  enamels,  and  (we  may  observe  incidently) 
in  the  later  Chinese  and  Japanese  schools.  It  means 
covering  the  surface  to  be  decorated  with  cloisons,  that 
is,  small  cells  or  compartments,  “cloisters,”  for  the  sepa¬ 
rate  colors,  by  means  of  fine  wires  soldered  on,  and  filled 
with  the  enamel  paste  before  filing,  the  whole  being 
afterwards  rubbed  down  and  polished.  The  second  is 
always  the  Gothic  or  Mediaeval  way,  including  the  great 
schools  of  Germany,  France,  England  and  Burgundy, 
and  of  the  workmen  in  British  India  to-day,  who  produce 
the  gorgeous  enamels  of  Jaipur,  Delhi  and  Lahore.  It 
consists  in  hollowing  out  on  the  metal  surface  channels 
and  spaces  to  be  filled  with  the  different  colors,  thus 
forming  a  champ  levs,  or  field  of  color  raised  to  the  level 
of  the  original  surface.  The  third  (but  we  shall  find  few, 
if  any,  examples  in  these  two  rooms)  was  a  method,  using 
neither  cloisons  nor  channels,  which  brought  Enameling 
much  nearer  the  arts  of  Painting  and  Engraving,  and  so 
did  away  with  its  own  distinctive  character  and  raison 
d’etre.  It  will  perhaps  be  not  amiss  to  add  that  by  trans¬ 
lucent  enamels  we  mean  colors  permitting  the  passage  of 
light:  also  that  these  naturally  belonged  to  the  cloisonne 


9 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
or  Byzantine  process,  the  foundation  of  which  was  usually 
gold,  and  are  seldom  or  never  found  in  the  champleve,  or 
Gothic  examples  (usually  on  copper)  till  about  the  four¬ 
teenth  century,  when  the  process  of  basse  taille,  or  engrav¬ 
ing  in  relief  the  bottoms  of  the  channels,  afforded  a  field 
for  their  use,  the  limpid  enamels  permitting  the  pattern 
to  show  through.  This  was  immediately  employed, 
principally  by  the  Llemish  or  Burgundian  craftsmen  and 
those  of  Siena  and  Northern  Italy,  with  exquisite  results, 
especially  in  small  objects,  shrines,  chalices,  reliquaries, 
etc.,  of  gold  and  silver. 

Beginning  now  with  the  objects  and  cases  in  Gallery 
n,  in  order  (that  is,  from  the  left  on  entering),  there  will 
be  found  in  the  first  corner  on  a  pedestal,  a  large  Chinese 
vase,  or  sacrificial  vessel,  of  bronze,  belonging  to  the 
Chow  Dynasty,  about  B.  C.  1500.  This  is  supposed  to 
be  the  best  age  of  the  art  of  bronze-casting  in  China,  and 
its  remoteness  gives  us  some  idea  of  the  early  civilization 
of  this  wonderful  people. 

Omitting  the  cases  of  objects  of  Classic  and  Ancient 
Art  (dealt  with  in  another  paper),  we  may  notice  on  the 
walls  a  piece  of  fifteenth-century  tapestry,  delightfully 
warm  and  rich  in  color,  and  naive  and  sincere  in  design. 
It  is  Lrench  work  of  the  later  fifteenth  century  and  be¬ 
longed  formerly  to  the  noble  family  of  Sambola  of  Cata¬ 
lonia,  in  the  Kingdom  of  Spain.  It  is  meant  to  illustrate 
the  several  clauses  of  the  Apostles’  Creed.  In  the  first 


10 


LEAF  OF  A  DIPTYCH 
IVORY 

SPANISH,  X  CENTURY 
GALLERY  I  I,  CASE  G 


HUNTING  HORN 
IVORY 

SYRIAN,  XII  CENTURY 
GALLERY  II,  CASE  G 


GALLERY  ELEVEN 

compartment  is  the  Eternal  Father,  crowned  and  robed 
both  as  Pope  and  Emperor,  creating  the  heavens  and  the 
earth:  in  the  second,  the  Baptism  of  Our  Lord  by  St.  John 
the  Baptist,  if  not  in  historic  sequence  with  the  follow¬ 
ing  subjects,  yet  introduced  because  of  the  proclamation 
at  that  time  by  the  Father’s  voice — “This  is  my  beloved 
Son”;  in  the  third,  the  Archangel  Gabriel  announcing 
to  Mary  her  conception  of  the  Son  of  God;  in  the  fourth, 
the  Birth  of  the  Lord  at  Bethlehem;  in  the  fifth,  the 
Passion,  Crucifixion,  and  Death,  all  summed  up  in  the 
familiar  group  of  the  Crucifixion;  in  the  sixth,  the  Lord’s 
Body  prepared  for  burial;  in  the  seventh,  the  Descent 
into  Hell,  and  setting  free  the  souls  of  the  Old  Testa¬ 
ment  Saints— the  “Harrowing  of  Hell”  of  the  old  writers; 
in  the  eighth,  the  Resurrection;  in  the  ninth,  the  Ascen¬ 
sion;  in  the  tenth,  the  Last  Judgment;  in  the  eleventh, 
the  Descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost  on  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary 
and  the  Apostles  at  Pentecost;  in  the  twelfth.  Our  Lord 
in  Heaven  between  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary  and  St. 

John  Baptist,  guarding  and  blessing  His  Church  on  earth, 
at  the  gate  of  which  sits  St.  Peter,  holding  the  Keys  of 
the  Kingdom;  in  the  thirteenth,  the  Guardian  Angel 
guiding  a  soul  to  the  tribunal  of  Penance,  where  the 
priest  absolves  it;  in  the  fourteenth,  Our  Lord  reigning 
among  the  Blessed  forever. 

Continuing  now  at  Case  F,  we  find  various  objects  and  Case  F 
fragments  of  early  Byzantine  and  Mediaeval  ivories. 

1 1 


Case  G 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
Particular  attention  is  directed  to  the  circular  cyst  or 
pyxis,  probably  from  its  decoration,  intended  for  some 
ecclesiastical  purpose— early  Byzantine  work  of  the 
sixth  century;  and  near  it  a  cup  or  beaker,  boldly 
and  well  carved  in  relief  with  nude  figures  of  bacchants, 
probably  a  somewhat  rude  Coptic  transcription  of  a 
Classic  model.  On  the  shelf  below  these  is  a  remarkable 
oblong  box  of  wood,  covered  with  finely  carved  ivory 
plates,  representing,  on  front,  back  and  sides,  scenes 
from  the  life  of  the  beasts  of  the  forest  and  of  the  chase, 
and  on  the  lid  two  scenes  of  the  human  life  of  an  earlier 
period,  one  of  a  combat  of  gladiators,  the  other  from  some 
classical  comedy.  This  is  fine  and  careful  work  belong¬ 
ing  to  the  period  of  conscious  imitation  of  Classic  models, 
about  the  ninth  century. 

In  Case  G,  among  the  various  Byzantine  and  Mediaeval 
objects,  perhaps  the  most  noteworthy  is  the  beautiful 
and  delicately  carved  fragment  from  the  throne  of  Don 
Jayme  I,  King  of  Arragon  and  Majorca  in  the  thirteenth 
century,  representing  a  knight  in  the  armor  of  the  period 
(barred  helmet  and  the  suit  of  chain-mail  reinforced  on 
the  forearms  and  legs  with  steel  plates),  mounted  on  a 
horse  vigorously  climbing  a  wooded  hill  The  herbage 
and  small  wild-creatures  beneath  their  feet,  and  the  con¬ 
ventionalized  border  above  of  wreathen  climbing  plants, 
and  beasts,  are  tenderly  and  skilfully  treated.  On  the 
next  shelf  is  a  maimed  Crucifix,  fine  and  dignified  French 


12 


ENAMEL  PLAQUE 
RHENISH,  XII  CENTURY 
GALLERY  I  I,  CASE  J 


THE  “OPFENHEIM”  RELIQUARY 
SILVER  OVERLAID  WITH  ENAMEL  ON  GOLD 
BYZANTINE,  IX  CENTURY 
GALLERY  II,  CASE  J 


GOLD  AND  ENAMEL  PLAQUES 
BYZANTINE,  IX  CENTURY 
GALLERY  I  I,  CASE  J 


RELIQUARY 
LIMOGES  ENAMEL 
FRENCH,  XIII  CENTURY 
GALLERY  II,  CASE  H 


GALLERY  ELEVEN 

work  of  the  twelfth  century;  and  on  a  lower  one  a  really 
noble  tablet  of  the  diptych  type,  evidently  one  of  a  series 
of  subjects  from  the  Gospel  history,  containing  two  inci¬ 
dents  of  the  Resurrection;  the  lower,  that  in  which  Our 
Lord  appears  to  St.  Mary  Magdalene  (the  Noli  me  tan- 
gere  of  so  many  later  artists) — with  the  legend  above, 

Dns  Marie  loquitur  (The  Lord  speaks  to  Mary);  and  in 
the  upper  half,  the  Lord  joining  the  two  disciples  on  their 
walk  to  Emmaus  on  the  evening  of  the  first  Easter  Day. 

This  is  dignified  Spanish  work  of  the  tenth  century.  In 
the  same  case  are  several  beautiful  ivory  heads  of  crosiers 
(French  crosse),  and  also  several  carved  ivory  horns 
(“oliphants”),  the  largest  covered  with  delicate  intricate 
geometric  design,  Oriental  both  in  origin  and  taste;  the 
others,  whatever  their  provenance  (supposedly  French  or 
German,  twelfth  century),  certainly  inspired  by  Oriental 
models. 

In  Case  H  are  four  reliquaries  of  the  shape  which  the  Case  H 
French  call  chasse,  that  is,  suggesting  a  small  gabled 
house  or  chapel,  though  the  word  itself  means  no  more 
than  “coffin”  or  “bier.”  These  are  all  admirable  ex¬ 
amples  of  the  splendid  clampleve  enameling  of  Limoges 
at  various  periods  during  the  thirteenth  century.  It  may 
be  well  to  note  on  the  two  larger  the  delicate  chasing  or 
engraving  which  covers  the  gilded  surface  of  the  copper, 
a  feature  characteristically  French,  and  serving  to  dis¬ 
tinguish  it  from  contemporary  work  of  the  great  German 

13 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
schools.  The  smallest  of  the  four  (that  to  the  visitor’s 
left)  bears  on  the  gable  at  either  end  a  pointed  heraldic 
shield,  probably  the  Arms  of  the  great  family  of  La  Tour 
d’Auvergne,  in  right  of  their  viscounty  of  Turenne.  This, 
and  the  benitier  (Holy  Water  bucket)  above,  are  of  an 
earlier  date  than  the  other  reliquaries.  In  the  bottom 
is  a  very  fine  enameled  Crucifix,  good  and  strong  French 
work  of  the  thirteenth  century,  and  a  group  in  repousse 
copper,  gilt,  of  the  Virgin  Mary  with  the  Divine  Child 
on  her  knee  in  the  act  of  blessing,  both  royally  robed  and 
crowned. 

Turning  now  to  the  central  floor-case,  which  we  shall 
consider  somewhat  out  of  order  (for  chronology’s  sake), 
Case  L  and  beginning  at  the  north  side  of  Case  L,  we  find  some 
admirably  perfect  examples  of  ivory  Consular  diptychs 
of  a  very  early  Byzantine  era,  521  A.  D.  Perhaps  it 
will  be  as  well  here  to  recall  the  meaning  and  origin  of 
the  “Consular  Diptych.”  Diptych,  of  course,  means  a 
book,  “table,”  or  pamphlet  of  two  leaves.  It  is  a  pure 
Greek  word;  and  being  also  official,  we  rightly  trace  its 
use  to  the  years  succeeding  Constantine,  who  transferred 
the  seat  of  Empire  from  Rome  to  Byzantium  (Constan¬ 
tinople),  after  which  Greek  rapidly  became  the  official 
language.  The  Romans,  always  tenacious  of  ancient 
forms,  continued  long,  even  under  the  Empire,  to  elect 
Consuls,  and  it  became  customary  for  these  magistrates 
on  their  election  to  present  to  the  Emperor,  the  Senators, 


14 


IVORY  PLAQUE 
SPANISH,  XIII  CENTURY 
GALLERY  II,  CASE  G 


IVORY  PLAQUE 
BYZANTINE,  IX  CENTURY 
GALLERY  II,  CASE  I 


CONSULAR  DIPTYCHS 
IVORY 

ROMAN,  VI  CENTURY 
GALLERY  II,  CASE  L 


GALLERY  ELEVEN 

and  their  friends,  sometimes  even  to  their  powerful  clients, 
as  memorials  of  their  election,  and  of  the  games  which 
they  gave  in  its  honor,  ivory  diptychs,  or  folding-tablets, 
bearing  their  “image  and  superscription,”  together  with 
various  emblematic  figures  and  designs.  Those  curious 
about  the  matter  will  find  it  fully  discussed  in  any  dic¬ 
tionary  of  Classical  Antiquities  or  Encyclopedia.  Here 
we  need  only  note  that  the  Church  early  adopted  the  use 
of  such  diptychs,  sometimes,  indeed,  the  very  Consular 
ones  themselves,  making  the  necessary  erasures  and  sub¬ 
stitutions,  for  recording  her  illustrious  ones,  inscribing 
them  with  the  names  of  the  local  Martyrs  and  Patrons, 
the  local  Bishop  and  reigning  Emperor,  and  generally  with 
the  catalogues  of  living  and  dead  to  be  specially  com¬ 
memorated  at  Mass. 

Later  the  name  came  to  be  applied  to  any  two-leaved 
folding  tablets  containing  representations  of  Sacred  and 
devotional  scenes.  In  the  Middle  Age  the  triptych,  or 
three-leaved  form,  became  the  favorite.  Modern  art- 
jargon  has  even  invented  the  barbarism  polyptych,  for 
one  of  more  than  three  leaves. 

In  this  Case  are  both  leaves  of  a  true  Consular  diptych. 
The  inscription  at  the  top  of  the  left  one  records  the  name 
of  Flavius  Petrus  Sabbatius  Justinianus,  who  was  Consul 
Ordinarius,  that  is,  gave  his  name  to  the  year,  in  521. 
Each  leaf  bears  also  an  inscription  within  a  garland, 
addressed  to  the  donor’s  friends  and  supporters.  That 


15 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
on  the  left  means,  “Gifts  of  little  cost,  it’s  true,  but  pro¬ 
lific  of  honors”  (which  might  be  incriminating  in  a  dis¬ 
puted  election!):  the  right  reads,  “  I  the  Consul  offer  these 
to  my  Lathers,”  that  is,  “my  honored  Conscript  Lathers,” 
— the  Senate.  On  either  side  of  this  veritable  Consular 
diptych  are  the  two  leaves  of  a  “converted”  one,  or, 
perhaps,  a  later  copy  of  an  old  one,  in  which  the  Classic 
types  have  been  made  to  do  duty  for  Christian  heroes. 
It  certainly  antedates  the  creation  of  traditional  Christian 
types,  and  it  is  hard  to  recognize  in  the  smooth-faced 
youths  of  the  diptych  leaves,  those  rugged  and  bearded 
protagonists  of  the  Christian  Church,  Saints  Peter  and 
Paul.  Yet  such  they  are,  and  St.  Peter  bears  his  very 
modest  keys,  and  St.  Paul  his  precious  volume  in  hands 
veiled  according  to  the  antique  and  Oriental  reverent 
method,  still  familiar  to  anyone  acquainted  with  the 
Liturgy  of  the  Catholic  Church,  in  the  veiling  of  the  hands 
of  the  Subdeacon  who  holds  the  paten  at  High  Mass,  or 
of  the  Priest,  who  gives  Benediction  with  the  Blessed  Sac¬ 
rament.  To  the  right  of  the  St.  Paul  is  a  very  queenly 
and  reverent  Madonna  holding  the  Divine  Child,  probably 
cut  from  the  plaque  of  which  it  formed  part,  beautiful 
and  careful  work  in  the  highest  style  of  the  court  carvers 
of  the  tenth  or  eleventh  centuries.  Turning  the  corner 
there  is  time  here  to  notice  only  a  plaque,  book-cover, 
probably,  of  minute  and  exquisite  finish,  showing  a  throned 
Christ  of  early  youthful  type,  surrounded  by  the  symbols 

16 


GALLERY  ELEVEN 

of  the  Four  Evangelists;  and  near  it  another  very  won¬ 
derful  one,  also  Byzantine  of  the  eleventh  century,  be¬ 
tween  pillars  and  under  a  canopy  of  delicately  carved 
trellis-work,  a  dignified  yet  pathetic  Crucifixion;  with 
unutterable  pity  the  Savior  seems  to  be  inclining  down¬ 
wards  His  Hands  full  of  pardon  for  the  guilty  race,  typi¬ 
fied  by  the  prostrate  form  of  our  First-Father  Adam  at 
the  roots  of  the  Cross,  in  response,  as  it  were,  to  the  decree 
of  the  Eternal  Father,  to  gain  whose  ear  Mercy  and 
Justice  seem  contending  in  the  small  group  below.  On 
either  side  of  the  Redeemer  stand  noble  grieving  figures 
of  the  Mother  and  St.  John:  the  traditional  group  of  the 
Crucifixion  (the  Rood  of  Mediaeval  churches)  fixed  for 
ever  for  Christian  Art. 

On  the  next  long  side  of  the  case  we  have  time  here 
only  to  note  the  strange  Russian  plaque  (ninth  or  tenth 
century),  of  Our  Lord’s  entry  into  Jerusalem  on  the  first 
Palm  Sunday,  in  which  He  is  mounted  on  a  horse  instead 
of  the  ass  of  the  Gospel  narrative,  and  in  which,  the 
strewn  garments,  for  lack  of  perspective,  seem  to  stand 
rigidly  on  end,  as  though  frozen  before  they  reached  the 
ground;  and  close  by  it  a  small  minutely  carved  and 
colored  ivory  disk  with  figures  of  the  three  great  “  Doc¬ 
tors”  of  the  Eastern  Church,  Saints  Basil,  John  Chrysos¬ 
tom,  and  Gregory  Nazianzen. 

In  order  to  follow  uninterruptedly  the  tradition  and 
development  of  Christian  Art,  we  must  pass  from  the  wan 

17 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
beauty  of  these  pallid  or  dusky  ivories  to  the  blazing 
Case  J  splendors  of  the  early  Byzantine  enamels  in  Case  K. 
Here  the  supreme  treasures  are  doubtless  on  the  long 
north  side  of  the  case,  and  chief  among  them  the  two 
small,  much-battered  figures  fixed  side  by  side  on  a  vel¬ 
vet  plaque.  Erom  the  fragmentary  lettering  on  them, 
we  know  them  to  be  the  Sorrowful  Mother-of-God  and 
the  Beloved  Disciple,  St.  John,  in  the  attitude  in  which 
tradition  has  fixed  them  on  either  side  of  the  Crucified 
Son  and  Savior.  The  marvel  is  that  despite  the  rigid 
canons  of  his  art,  and  perhaps,  indeed,  through  them, 
and  despite  the  reverent  restraints  of  Religion,  the  artist 
has  yet  contrived  to  give  such  human  individuality  and 
emotion  to  these  stiff  little  hieratic  figures.  They  are 
types,  indeed,  of  the  sacred  personages  they  represent; 
but  one  has  only  to  glance  upwards  at  the  purely  vacuous 
representations  of  corresponding  personages  in  that  sump¬ 
tuous  jewel,  the  “Oppenheim”  reliquary,  to  see  how 
individual  as  well  as  traditional  has  been  the  treatment 
of  the  unknown  artist  of  these  precious  fragments.  They 
are  doubly  interesting  as  exemplifying  the  perfect  expres¬ 
sion  of  Christian  Art  attained  before  the  outbreak  of 
the  desolating  Iconoclastic  (“Image-breaking”)  Contro¬ 
versy  in  the  eighth  century.  This,  having  been  waged 
relentlessly  by  four  Emperors,  Leo  Isauricus,  Constan¬ 
tine  Copronymus,  Leo  Armenius,  and  Theophilus,  for 
more  than  a  century,  violently  interrupted  the  develop- 

18 


GALLERY  ELEVEN 

ment  of  Sacred  Art,  scattering  the  artists  in  exile  and  de¬ 
stroying  their  works;  but  the  traditions  embodied  in 
those  two  fragmentary  figures  had  been  firmly  fixed,  and 
once  the  ban  was  raised  in  the  ninth  century,  it  started 
with  renewed  impulse  from  the  highest  achievements 
of  the  old  tradition  until  it  blazed  forth  in  that  splendid 
series  of  sacred  images  forming  the  great  glory  of  this 
collection.  This  includes  representations  of  Our  Lord 
Himself,  His  Mother,  John  the  Baptist,  His  chief  Apos¬ 
tles,  and  various  military  Saints,  among  them,  St.  George. 
It  will  be  at  once  observed  that  the  conventional  robing 
of  the  various  sacred  personages  has  been  fixed  for  all 
time:  the  chiton  and  himation  of  Our  Lord  and  the  Apos¬ 
tles;  the  palla  (drawn  over  the  head)  of  the  Virgin  Mary; 
the  “rough  garment”  of  camel-skin  of  St.  John  Baptist; 
the  noble  and  military  chlamys,  badge  of  patrician  rank  and 
high  military  command,  of  St.  George  and  his  brother 
soldiers.  This  splendid  series  belongs  to  a  period  between 
the  tenth  and  eleventh  centuries.  We  must  be  content 
here  to  draw  attention  to  two  other  objects  only,  mere 
fragments  too,  belonging  to  the  same  resplendent  period 
of  the  enameler’s  art.  These  are  a  segment  of  a  circular 
band  and  a  plaque  of  irregular  shape,  once  doubtless  parts 
of  backgrounds,  the  circular  one,  perhaps,  of  a  halo,  of 
icons  of  the  Virgin  Mary.  Here  we  are  in  the  purely  decora¬ 
tive  field  of  Oriental  Art,  an  endlessly  repeated  fixed 
design,  which  yet  grows  no  more  wearisome  than  the 

19 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
changeless  succession  of  the  starry  heavens,  which  began 
their  courses  before  the  creation  of  Man.  This  is  radiant 
jewellery  multiplied  to  cover  spaces  not  spots,  and  to 
charm  at  once  by  the  color  and  prolong  the  attention  by 
the  plan. 

It  is  a  far  cry  from  this  to  the  strangely  different, 
but  no  less  noble,  MEDI/EVAL  CHAMPLEVE 
ENAMELS  OF  LIMOGES,  which  lie  in  the  end 
compartment  of  this  case  to  the  right.  Again  conven¬ 
tional  design  and  harmonius  color;  but  somehow  we  are 
in  a  freer  atmosphere,  emblematic  of  that  magnificent 
Europe — joyous  yet  serious — strenuous  yet  contemplative 
— warlike  yet  religious — the  Europe  of  cathedrals  and 
castles— of  craftsmen’s  guilds  and  Free  Cities — which 
was  springing  into  being  under  the  great  Popes,  Emperors, 
and  Kings  of  Christendom.  One  is  conscious  in  all  the 
characteristic  Art  of  these  wonderful  centuries  of  an 
amazing,  widespread  vigor  and  individualism,  all  disci¬ 
plined  and  useful,  full  of  achievement,  because  ultimately 
submissive  to  Divine  Authority  in  Church  and  State. 
Sanity  was  its  leading  characteristic.  No  one  then  had  to 
apologize  for  the  errors  of  “the  artistic  temperament.” 
Its  two  supreme  poets  were  Dante,  the  eager  politician, 
and  Chaucer,  the  laborious  and  honest  collector  of  the 
Port  of  London.  Its  clergymen  were  not  only  philos¬ 
ophers  and  scholars,  but  statesmen  and  men-of-affairs, 
guiding  the  policies  of  Kings  and  peoples, — Alcuin  and 


20 


GALLERY  ELEVEN 

Suger,  Gerbert  (Pope  Sylvester  II),  and  St.  Thomas  a 
Becket.  It  was  above  all  a  practical  age,  and  its  Art 
existed  to  beautify  the  daily  life  of  men — high  and  low — and 
to  decorate  the  common  articles  of  everyday  use.  Unless  one 
grasps  this  fact,  one  can  never  appreciate  at  their  proper 
worth  the  artistic  relics  of  the  Middle  Age. 

Before,  however,  leaving  this  room  for  Gallery  12, 
where  we  shall  again  encounter  objects  of  Christian  Art, 
we  must  spend  a  few  moments  looking  at  the  central 
floor-case  K,  which  contains  principally  examples  of  Case  K 
EASTERN  GLASS,  constructed  under  Mohammedan 
influence;  the  larger  pieces  for  use  in  Mohammedan 
mosques.  The  most  noteworthy  of  these  are  four 
Mosque-Lamps,  i.e.,  lamps  meant  to  be  suspended  by 
cords  or  chains  in  the  interior  of  mosques,  or  shrines,  or 
in  mausoleums,  or  over  the  tombs  of  illustrious  dead. 

The  offering  and  maintenance  of  them  lighted  is  a  common 
act  of  devotion. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  four  principal  ones,  and 
indeed,  all  such  lamps,  show  only  slight  variations  from 
a  common  form:  a  foot  of  varying  height;  a  capacious 
body,  more  or  less  oval,  for  containing  the  oil;  and  a 
deep  and  flaring  mouth  or  throat  to  protect  the  flame. 

Those  which  we  shall  particularly  consider  are  all,  too,  of 
similar  material  and  decoration — a  clear  transparent 
glass,  with  conventional  applied  ornament  in  coloured 
glass,  producing  the  effect  of  enameling.  They  are 


21 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
commonly  spoken  of  as  “Arabian,”  evidently  from  the 
consciousness  of  the  well-known  origin  of  the  Religion  of 
Islam;  also,  probably,  because  the  Saracens,  whose 
conquests  first  brought  Western  Christendom  into  con¬ 
tact  and  conflict  with  it,  were  originally  an  Arabian  people. 
But  as  a  matter  of  fact  those  we  are  considering,  and 
most  of  those  of  similar  character,  were  made  in  Syria, 
probably  near  Damascas,  and  distributed  by  caravans 
throughout  the  Mohammedan  Levant. 

The  following  is  what  we  are  told  specifically  of  the  four 
in  question,  derived  presumably  from  the  inscriptions 
and  other  marks  on  each. 

No.  i  ( circ .  A.  D.  1286).  A  tomb-lamp  intended  for 
the  mausoleum  of  an  Emir,  Ala-el-Din  Aydekin,  etc.,  etc.; 
el-Boudokdar,  etc. — 1.  e.,  “Ala-el-Din,  etc.,  the  Bowman,” 
either  from  some  office  he  himself  held  at  the  court  of  the 
Mameluke  Sultans  (then  rulers  of  Egypt),  or  what  we 
should  call  his  “surname.”  With  reference  to  this,  the 
lamp  is  decorated  with  his  badge,  a  sort  of  bastard  heraldry 
which  the  Moors  and  Saracens  (and  through  them  the 
Mamelukes  and  Turks)  seem  to  have  borrowed  from  the 
Crusaders.  This  is  the  significance  of  the  two  bows 
back-to-back  in  the  red  medallion  both  on  the  body  and 
the  throat  of  the  lamp. 

No.  2  {circ.  1329).  This  was  made  for  the  Mosque  of 
( i.e .,  built  by)  Kossoum  in  Grand  Cairo.  This  person 
was  a  Mameluke,  a  favorite  of  the  reigning  Sultan,  who 


22 


GALLERY  ELEVEN 

promoted  him  to  be  one  of  his  cup-bearers  and  finally  an 
Emir,  and  at  his  death,  left  him  guardian  of  his  son, 
Abu-Bikr,  whom  Kossoum  promptly  exiled  and  murdered: 
a  fate  which  overtook  himself  before  long,  about  1341. 
His  badge,  a  red  cup  on  a  particolored  medallion  of  white 
and  gold,  refers  plainly  to  his  first  office  at  court,  from 
which,  probably,  he  continued  to  be  designated  throughout 
his  life. 

No.  3  ( circ .  1348).  This  lamp  (also  Cairene  in  pro¬ 
venance)  is  said  to  have  been  made  and  hung  up  in  honor 
of  El-Melik-el-Nasser,  Son-of-Kalaoum,  one  of  a  group 
of  Mamelukes,  who  seem  between  1293-1340  to  have 
been  engaged  in  various  attempts  to  set  up  for  them¬ 
selves  an  independent  petty  sovereignty.  The  badge 
on  this  is  a  heart-shaped  or  top-shaped  medallion  of  clear 
glass,  bearing  an  Arabic  inscription  said  to  mean,  “Glory 
to  our  lord  the  Sultan,  the  King." 

No.  4  {circ.  1393).  This  is  said  to  have  been  made 
in  honor  of  the  Sultan,  El  Melik,  el  Zaher,  etc.,  etc.,  the  first 
of  the  Circassian  Sultans,  who  from  serving  in  the  Mame¬ 
luke  guards  raised  themselves  to  this  pre-eminence  be¬ 
tween  the  years  1382-1392.  The  badge  or  signet  on  this 
lamp  is  a  gold  medallion  bearing  a  device  or  inscription 
in  three  lines,  said  to  mean,  “(i.)  El  Zaher;  (ii.)  Glory 
to  our  lord,  the  Sultan,  the  King;  (iii.)  May  his  victory 
be  glorious.” 

Attention  is  also  directed  to  the  two  smaller  mosque- 

23 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
lamps  of  sapphire-colored  glass,  with  intricate  conven¬ 
tional  decoration  in  polychrome  "enamel.” 

There  are  also  in  this  case  four  minute  objects,  three 
at  least  undoubtedly  genuine,  which  deserve  considera- 
Case  K  tion.  These  are  the  small  disks  of  glass  lying  towards 
the  corners  of  the  top  shelf  and  showing  portraits  and  in¬ 
scriptions  impressed  in  gold-leaf  on  the  reverse  of  the 
glass.  They  are  very  ancient  examples  of  the  art  now 
known  as  EGLOMISE,  OR  VERRE  EGLOM I SE- 
It  consists  in  painting  on  the  back  of  glass,  in  gold  and 
colors,  the  requisite  design,  and  then  imposing  on  it  a 
corresponding  plate  of  glass,  and  fusing  the  two  together 
by  a  gentle  heat.  This  naturally  requires  extraordinary 
care  and  delicacy  of  treatment,  but  when  successful,  pro¬ 
duces  a  picture  indestructible  by  anything  short  of  vio¬ 
lence.  The  application  to  the  process  of  the  term  eglomise 
is  a  strange  example  of  retro-active  nomeclature.  In  the 
late  eighteenth  century,  a  Paris  picture-framer  named 
Glomi  was  in  great  request  among  connoisseurs  for  the 
excellence  of  his  work.  He  professed  to  have  invented 
(and  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt  his  sincerity)  a  new 
method  of  framing,  particularly  adapted  to  the  tinted 
engravings  of  the  day,  which  consisted  in  laying  down 
on  the  reverse  of  the  glass  certain  lines  and  bands  of  gold 
with  a  background  of  blue-black  varnish  or  lacquer,  to 
form  a  setting  for  the  picture,  inside  the  actual  frame. 
This  obtained  great  vogue,  and  the  “new”  process  was 

24 


GALLERY  ELEVEN 

called  after  its  inventor  eglomise,  or,  rather  pictures  so 
treated  were  said  to  be  egiomises — done  in  Glomi’s  style. 
When,  at  a  later  date,  mediaeval  and  even  earlier  ex¬ 
amples  of  a  corresponding  art  were  discovered,  the  term 
was  conveniently  transferred  to  them,  though  owing  its 
origin  to  something  which  occurred  many  centuries  later. 


25 


G  A  L  L  E  R  Y  T  W  E  LV  E 


II 

nKn 

Ul|j 

lit  "11^5} 

GALLERY  TWELVE 
GOTHIC  PERIOD 


GALLERY  TWELVE 
GOTHIC  PERIOD 


P ASSING  now  into  Gallery  12,  the  first  thing  to  attract 
our  attention  on  the  right  as  we  enter  is  an  admirable 
oblong  panel  of  early  thirteenth-century 
tapestry:  not  embroidery  or  darned-work,  like  that  of 
Bayeux,  but  real  tapestry,  a  woven  web  of  haute  lice, 
vertical  loom,  always  the  characteristic  method  of  the 
Parisian  and  best  French  schools,  to  which  this  belongs. 
The  subject,  one  need  hardly  say,  is  the  traditional  and 
symbolical  representation  of  the  Crucifixion,  with  the 
historical  figures  of  the  Blessed  Mother  and  St.  John  on 
either  side  accompanied  by  later  saints,  who  are  only 
present  from  local  devotion  and  because  all  sanctity  is 
the  fruit  of  the  Cross.  In  this  case  they  are  two  Virgin- 
Martyrs:  the  one  to  the  right  of  the  Cross  very  evidently 
St.  Catharine  of  Alexandria;  the  one  to  the  left,  probably, 
St.  Margaret  of  Antioch. 

Immediately  below  this  is  a  large  gabled  shrine, 
aumry,  or,  possibly,  tabernacle  or  repository  for  the  Holy 
Sacrament,  although  the  present  use  of  stationary  taber- 

27 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
nacles,  on  or  above  an  altar,  dates  only  from  the  sixteenth 
century.  It  is  of  wood  covered  inside  and  on  the  front 
with  plates  of  Limoges  enamel  of  the  thirteenth  century, 
and  heightened  with  figures  in  relief  of  copper  gilt.  It 
was  unfortunately  buried  for  centuries,  probably  to  save 
it  from  destruction  or  desecration,  and  nothing  is  more 
fatal  to  the  beauty  and  splendor  of  enamel;  it  requires, 
therefore,  some  effort  of  the  imagination  to  restore  to  it 
its  original  brilliance  and  charm.  The  principal  group 
inside  represents  with  great  simplicity  and  dignity  the 
Descent  from  the  Cross;  those  inside  the  folding-doors 
represent,  three  on  each  side,  scenes  connected  with 
the  Resurrection.  On  the  right,  that  is,  Our  Lord’s 
right,  beginning  from  the  bottom  (and  in  mediaeval 
subjects  divided  into  compartments,  it  will  usually  be 
found  that  a  vertical  series  begins  at  the  bottom,  and 
several  horizontal  series,  at  the  left-hand  of  the  bottom 
row),  the  liberation  from  Hell  of  the  souls  of  the  Old 
Testament  Saints:  the  Three  Maries  at  the  empty  Sepul¬ 
chre;  the  appearing  of  the  Lord  to  St.  Mary  Magdalene. 
Those  on  the  left:  Our  Lord  joining  the  Two  Disciples  on 
their  journey  to  Emmaus;  His  recognition  by  them  at  the 
supper  at  Emmaus;  His  satisfying  the  doubts  of  St. 
Thomas.  On  the  outside  of  the  doors  are  figures  in  re¬ 
lief  of  Our  Lord  in  Glory  surrounded  by  emblems  of  the 
Four  Evangelists;  and  of  Our  Lady,  by  four  Angels.  It 
will  also  be  noted  that  throughout,  even  in  Death  on  the 

28 


GALLERY  TWELVE 
Cross,  the  Lord  is  regally  crowned,  signifying  that  His 
endless  triumph  had  now  begun. 

Worth  more  than  a  glance,  too,  is  the  short  band  of 
faded  tapestry,  beautiful  English  work  of  the 
late  thirteenth  century,  representing  a  Cruci¬ 
fixion  with  attendant  Saints:  on  the  right  of  the  Cross 
SS.  Peter  and  James-the-Great;  on  the  left  SS.  Paul  and 
Andrew.  Several  things  concur  to  fix  the  date  of  this 
piece  within  a  year  or  two:  not  only  the  architecture, 
which  could  not  be  later  than  the  early  fourteenth  century, 
but  the  heraldries  and  the  Saints.  Of  the  shields  in  the 
spandrels  of  the  arches,  those  to  the  right  and  left  of  the 
Cross  are  the  royal  arms  of  England  (Edward  1)  and  of 
Castile  and  Leon  (his  beloved  and  heroic  Queen  Eleanor). 
She  died  in  1290,  and  the  King  in  1307;  and  this  was 
probably  executed  before  her  death,  or  as  part  of  one  of 
the  many  and  various  memorials  which  he  dedicated  to 
her  memory  immediately  afterwards.  Of  the  Saints, 
too,  St.  James,  Santiago,  is  the  renowned  patron  of 
Castile,  and  St.  Andrew,  much  honored  in  other  parts 
of  Spain,  especially  in  Catalonia.  The  other  two  com¬ 
plete  shields  are:  the  lion,  that  of  Mowbray,  Earl  of  Arun¬ 
del,  ancestor  of  the  present  Duke  of  Norfolk,  and  the 
three  chevrons,  that  of  the  Declares,  once  Earls  of  Pem¬ 
broke. 

In  Case  A  are  several  beautiful  and  characteristic 
French  ivories:  a  large  group  of  the  Madonna  and 

29 


Case  A 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
the  Child,  with  the  benignant  and  caressing  suggestion 
so  distinctive  of  such  groups  of  the  fourteenth  century; 
on  a  lower  shelf  a  strange  and  almost  unique  representa¬ 
tion,  at  least  in  ivory,  of  the  same  subject,  in  which  the 
Virgin  holds  on  her  knees  a  carved  wooden  cradle,  or 
creche,  while  she  raises  the  Infant  with  her  left  arm  and 
wraps  him  in  swathing-bands  with  her  right.  This 
interesting  and  unusual  representation  is  thought  to  be 
probably  of  South  French  origin,  possibly  from  Auvergne, 
and  the  disfiguring  narrowness  of  the  shoulders  and 
ungracefulness  of  the  head,  so  strangely  inconsistent  with 
the  ample  draperies  and  well-managed  lower  part  of  the 
figure,  to  be  attributable  to  the  awkward  shape  and  size 
of  the  ivory  with  which  the  artist  had  to  work.  Beside 
it  is  another  grave  and  well-modeled  representation  of 
the  same  group,  in  which  the  Child  is  sitting  on  His 
Mother’s  knee  as  on  a  throne,  and  raising  His  Hand  in 
Blessing.  In  the  same  case,  on  the  top  shelf,  is  a  small 
spirited  carving  of  the  thirteenth  century,  one  of  a  set 
of  chessmen,  representing  a  mounted  knight  encounter¬ 
ing  a  dragon. 

Cases  A,  B  Against  the  wall  between  Cases  A  and  B  is  a  remark¬ 
able  wooden  statuette  of  the  Virgin,  crowned  as 
a  Queen,  the  features  strangely  elongated,  it  is  true, 
but  the  whole  figure  noble  and  gracious,  and  the  draperies 
preserving  the  best  traditions  of  art. 

In  Case  B  is  a  small  altar-piece,  mainly  of  ivory, 

30 


Case  B 


GALLERY  TWELVE 
set  in  a  frame  of  certosina  work,  that  is,  wood 
inlaid  with  minute,  and  generally  geometric,  designs,  in 
ivory,  bone,  mother-of-pearl,  etc.,  and  consisting  of 
small  plaques,  each  representing  a  particular  scene  and 
forming  part  of  a  narrative  sequence.  The  three  com¬ 
partments  represent,  respectively,  in  the  center,  scenes 
from  Our  Lord’s  Life,  from  His  Conception  to  His  Cruci¬ 
fixion;  and  on  either  side,  the  lives  of  the  two  St.  Johns— 
St.  John  Baptist’s  at  the  right  of  the  central  group,  and 
St.  John  the  Evangelist’s  at  the  left.  Unfortunately 
several  of  the  panels  have  been  displaced,  and  in  one 
the  figure  of  the  Virgin  is  missing. 

In  Case  C  is  an  extraordinary  reliquary,  which 
perhaps  better  than  some  more  showy  pieces  exhibits 
the  amazing  facility  of  the  Mediaeval  craftsman  and  his 
absolute  mastery  over  his  material.  It  represents, 
when  closed,  the  Madonna  and  Child:  opened,  as 
displayed,  it  reveals  a  three-quarters  figure  of  Our 
Lord,  supporting  on  His  palms  His  Cross,  which  is  al¬ 
most  of  the  tau-shape.  On  the  inside  of  the  doors,  which 
necessarily  follow  more  or  less  the  modulations  of  the  fig¬ 
ure  of  which  they  form  part,  at  the  right  of  the  Cross, 
are  enameled  six  scenes  from  Our  Lord’s  Childhood:  the 
Annunciation;  the  Nativity;  the  Adoration  by  the  Wise 
Kings:  at  the  left,  the  Announcement  to  the  Shepherds; 
the  Presentation  in  the  Temple;  Our  Lady  and  St.  Joseph, 
evidently  seeking  Our  Lord  on  their  return  from  His 


Case  C 


31 


Case  D 


/ 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
first  Passover.  If  the  group  were  of  some  plastic  sub¬ 
stance,  it  might  not  be  so  wonderful,  but  when  we  think 
that  it  is  carved  from  wood,  and  overlaid  with  enameled 
copper,  and  consider  the  difficulties  of  such  work  on  an 
irregular  surface,  our  wonder  can  only  be  equaled  by 
our  admiration.  It  is  Lrench  work  of  Limoges  of  the 
thirteenth  century. 

In  the  same  case  is  a  large  ivory  plaque  of  the 
Descent  from  the  Cross,  of  the  same  type  as  that  in  the 
great  enameled  shrine  which  we  first  noticed,  but  a  cen¬ 
tury  later,  and  none  the  better  for  that. 

In  the  same  case  is  another  amazing  object,  A  small 
ivory  representing  a  shepherd-boy  asleep  on  top  of 
a  terraced  hill  on  which  stand  exactly  balanced  sheep; 
and  birds  drink  from  formal  fountains,  as  in  some 
Byzantine  mosaic.  It  is  somewhat  startling  to  find  that 
this  is  a  naive  Indo-Portuguese  representation  of  the  six¬ 
teenth  century,  of  the  youthful  St.  John  Baptist. 

In  Case  D,  most  noteworthy  is  a  c  a  r  v  e  d  and 

PAINTED  WOODEN  GROUP,  pRENCH  FIFTEENTH  CEN¬ 
TURY,  of  the  Visitation  of  the  Virgin  Mary  to  St.  Eliza¬ 
beth.  The  figures  are  noble  and  graceful,  as  well  as 
tenderly  affectionate,  and  each  bears  inserted  on 
her  breast  a  long  cabochon  crystal,  the  traditional  Me¬ 
diaeval  treatment,  to  recall  the  Gospel  narrative  that 
the  younger  Mother  bore  at  that  moment  in  her  bosom 
the  Lord  of  Life,  and  the  elder  His  Lorerunner,  St.  John 

32 


MADONNA 

FRENCH,  XIV  CENTURY 
GALLERY  12,  CASE  C 


DESCENT  FROM  THE  CROSS 
FRENCH,  EARLY  XIV  CENTURY 
GALLERY  12,  CASE  C 


VISITATION 

WOOD 

FRENCH,  XIV  CENTURY 
GALIERY  12,  CASE  D 


MADONNA 

FRENCH,  XIV  CENTURY 
GALLERY  12,  CASE  G 


GALLERY  TWELVE 
Baptist,  who,  yet  unborn,  recognized  the  presence  of 
his  God.  Two  large  silver  reliquaries,  in 
the  not  unusual  form  of  a  hand  and  forearm,  are  ex¬ 
ceedingly  fine  types  of  French  work  of  the  fifteenth  cen¬ 
tury. 

In  the  next  case  the  two  figures  of  mourners 
from  a  tomb,  and  the  kneeling  ones  of  a  King  and  Queen, 
also  from  a  funereal  group,  deserve  attention.  These  are 
all  characteristic  examples  of  such  work  in  France  in  the 
fourteenth  century. 

In  Case  G  are  a  strong  and  convincingly  realistic 
group  of  “plain  people,”  carved  in  oak,  Flemish  work — 
probably  Antwerp — of  the  fifteenth  century;  some  of  the 
miraculously  delicate  and  intricate  German  carved  wood¬ 
work  of  the  sixteenth  century,  in  the  large  dark-colored 
shrine;  and  a  curious,  mutilated  fragment  in  mar¬ 
ble  of  the  Death  of  the  Virgin,  in  its  naive  and  unhesi¬ 
tating  realism,  recalling  Wohlgemuth  (Diirer’s  master) 
and  other  primitive  Germans  of  the  fifteenth  century. 

Standing  against  the  wall,  further  on,  is  a  charming 
youthful  St.  Michael  slaying  the  dragon:  spirited 
French  work  of  the  fifteenth  century,  not  distinguished 
by  strength,  but  beautiful  and  graceful.  Behind  him 
hangs  one  of  those  far-sought  Indian  carpets  of  char¬ 
acteristic  design,  which,  never  very  plentiful  (India,  in 
these  fabrics,  followed  and  was  eclipsed  by  Persia),  have 
become  increasingly  rare  since  British  occupation. 


Case  F 


Case  G 


33 


Case  H 


Cases 
1  and  J 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 

In  case  H  are  several  striking  examples  of  the  com¬ 
bination  OF  DIFFERENT  METHODS  OF  ORNAMENT. 
Most  conspicuous  is  the  large  triptych  of  wood  overlaid 
with  copper  gilt  and  silver,  and  decorated  with  a  large 
medallion  of  the  Madonna  and  Child,  early,  stiff  hieratic 
work,  more  Romanesque  than  Gothic,  and  twelve  smaller 
plaques  representing  various  scenes  of  hunting  and  hawk¬ 
ing,  of  war  and  peace,  all  in  French  enamel  of  the  thir¬ 
teenth  century.  The  central  panel  is,  besides,  thickly  en¬ 
crusted  around  the  sacred  image  with  antique  gems, 
cameos  and  intaglios;  and  the  two  wings  with  cabochon 
stones  and  crystals.  The  same  union  of  enamel  with 
inscribed  gems  will  be  observed  in  the  three  crucifixes 
and  two  of  the  reliquaries,  chasses,  on  the  lower  shelf,  all 
likewise  of  the  thirteenth  century.  On  the  same  shelf  is 
a  very  curious  example  of  eglomise  work  of  the  fifteenth 
century,  an  amusingly  naive  and  realistic  representation 
of  Our  Lord  speaking  with  the  Woman  of  Samaria. 

Passing  now  to  the  floor-cases,  the  first  two  (I  and  J) 
contain  almost  entirely  a  very  complete  and  representa¬ 
tive  collection  of  French  ivory  carvings  of  the 
thirteenth  and  fourteenth  centuries.  Those  still  preserv¬ 
ing  traces  of  color  are  particularly  worth  notice,  for 
example,  that  representing  on  either  side  of  the  cen¬ 
tral  panel  Our  Lord’s  entrance  into  Jerusalem  on  Palm 
Sunday,  the  Agony  in  the  Garden,  the  Washing  of  the 
Feet,  and  the  Crucifixion;  and  another,  of  equal  delicacy 

34 


ST.  MICHAEL 
STONE 

FRENCH,  XV  CENTURY 
GALLERY  12,  NORTH  WALL 


GALLERY  TWELVE 

and  beauty,  containing  seven  scenes  from  the  Passion  of 
Our  Lord,  the  Palm  Sunday  Entry,  the  Last  Supper,  the 
Washing  of  the  Feet,  the  Flagellation,  the  Crucifixion, 
the  Descent  from  the  Cross,  and  the  Resurrection.  In 
both  end  compartments  of  the  same  case  are  very  inter¬ 
esting  ivory  combs,  and  on  the  north  side,  among  many 
other  things,  a  small  circular  crocketed  disk  with  three 
figures  on  horseback,  one  with  hawk  on  wrist,  either  going 
to  or  returning  from  the  chase.  There  is  also  an  ex¬ 
quisitely  delicately  pierced  carving,  or  carving  a  jour,  as 
the  French  call  it,  representing  four  figures,  two  men  and 
two  women,  each  under  a  Gothic  canopy.  Also  a  very 
beautiful  diptych  showing  on  one  leaf  the  Nativity  and 
the  Adoration  of  the  Magi,  and  on  the  other  the  Cruci¬ 
fixion  and  the  Coronation  of  the  Virgin. 

In  Case  J  there  is  time  only  to  draw  attention  to  an  Case  J 
elaborately  beautiful  pearwood  triptych  (in  the 
west  end  compartment)  representing  the  symbolic  Cruci¬ 
fixion  between  the  emblems  of  the  Four  Evangelists,  and 
in  either  wing  St.  John  Baptist  and  St.  Benedict.  On  the 
north  side  are  two  amazingly  delicate  plaques,  carved 
a  jour,  representing  a  series  of  scenes  from  the  life  of  Our 
Lord  and  His  Mother.  There  is  also  a  very  lovely  and 
ingeniously  carved  ivory  head  of  a  crosier,  the  curve  of  the 
staff  being  formed  of  a  foliated  shoot,  and  the  center  or¬ 
nament  representing  on  one  side  the  Crucifixion  and  on 
the  other  the  Virgin  between  Angels. 


35 


Case  K 


Cases  L, 
M.  N 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 

With  Case  K  we  have  reached  the  borderland — some¬ 
times  in  actual  date,  though  not  in  feeling,  overpassed 
it — of  the  Gothic  or  Mediaeval  period.  Both  the  drinking- 
horns  here  shown  are  splendid  examples  of  goldsmiths’ 
work  in  Germany  of  the  fifteenth  century,  particularly 
the  one  crested  with  the  figure  of  St.  Michael  and  said 
to  have  come  from  the  treasury  of  the  Church  of  Castro- 
Jerez,  in  the  province  of  Burgos  in  Spain.  Very  striking, 
too,  is  the  noble  figure  of  St.  Christopher  winning  his 
name,  “The  Christbearer,”  also  from  a  church,  this  time 
(as  is  the  group  itself)  a  French  one,  Castelnaudary,  near 
Toulouse.  The  statuette  of  the  Virgin  and  Child  is 
essentially  and  typically  German  work  of  the  fifteenth 
century,  reminding  one  inevitably  of  the  charming  Virgins 
of  Shongauer,  and  Israel  van  Mechenen  and  others  of 
Diirer’s  predecessors  and  contemporaries.  In  the  same 
case  is  one  of  those  wonderful  locks  which  show  us  how 
no  part  of  a  building,  or  any  object  worth  making,  was 
allowed  to  go  undecorated.  This  is  iron-work,  French 
of  the  sixteenth  century,  and  represents  the  Last  Judgment 
and  the  Locks  of  Doom:  on  one  side  St.  Peter  admitting 
the  Blessed  into  Paradise,  on  the  other  the  torments 
of  Hell. 

In  Cases  L,  M  and  N  are  chiefly  a  group  of  GOTHIC 
ENAMELS  covering  the  thirteenth  and 
fourteenth  centuries.  They  are  vary  largely  of 
the  early  noble  German  schools:  Lorraine,  and  the  valleys 

36 


IVORY  DISC 

BURGUNDIAN,  XV  CENTURY 
GALLERY  12,  CASE  J 


DRINKING  HORN 
GERMAN,  XV  CENTURY 
GALLERY  12,  CASE  K 


SILVER  MADONNA 
GERMAN,  XV  CENTURY 
GALLERY  12,  CASE  N 


ENAMEL  RELIQUARY 
RHENISH,  XII  CENTURY 
GALLERY  12,  CASE  L 


ENAMEL  CIBORIUM 
LORRAINE.  XILXENTURY 
GALLERY  12.  CASE  N 


GALLERY  TWELVE 
of  the  Rhine,  and  Moselle,  contemporary  with  the  best 
French  period  of  Limoges,  and  generally  to  be  distin¬ 
guished  from  it  by  greater  robustness  and  originality,  a 
greater  freedom  of  handling,  and  wealth  of  color.  Notable 
in  this  respect  is  the  resplendent  portable  reli¬ 
quary  in  the  eastern  compartment  of  Case  L,  quatre- 
foiled  in  shape,  and  said  to  have  contained,  so  the  Latin 
legend  on  it  runs,  some  of  the  hair  of  St.  Mary  Magdalene. 
It  is  great  work  of  the  Rhenish  school  in  the  thirteenth 
century. 

Case  N  contains  some  of  the  most  precious  examples 
in  the  whole  collection :  another  portable  reliquary, 
burse-shaped,  of  enamel,  set  about  with  cabochon  crystals, 
work  of  the  Moselle  region  of  the  early  thirteenth  cen¬ 
tury;  above  all,  the  large  and  magnificent  ciborium, 
enameled  inside  and  out,  of  the  end  of  the  twelfth  cen¬ 
tury,  and  from  Lorraine.  The  subjects  on  the  lid  are 
the  Nativity,  the  Presentation  in  the  Temple,  the  Bap¬ 
tism  of  Our  Lord,  His  ascent  of  Calvary,  His  Crucifixion, 
and  Resurrection.  On  the  lower  half  are  represented 
six  Old  Testament  types  of  the  Incarnation  and  Redemp¬ 
tion.  Inside,  on  the  lid  is  represented  Christ  in  Glory; 
on  the  bottom  the  Agnus  Dei.  There  is  also  on  the  upper 
shelf  another  very  beautiful  ciborium,  of  fair  colors 
and  elegant  shape:  French  work  (probably  Limoges)  of 
the  early  fourteenth  century.  Its  six  panels  show  scenes 
from  the  Passion  and  Resurrection  of  Our  Lord,  and  it  is 

37 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
topped  royally  with  a  crystal  orb.  It  is  very  lovely  and 
precious;  but  one  seems  to  feel  just  the  faintest  suggestion 
of  mechanical  precision,  and  an  absence  of  that  inex¬ 
haustible  wealth  of  thought,  design,  and  love  lavished  on 
the  great  German  work  below.  Another  of  the  sumpt¬ 
uous  treasures  of  this  case  (N)  is  the  little  enameled 
and  jeweled  s  h  r  i  n  e  enclosing  a  figure  of  the  Mother 
and  Child.  It  is  delicate  and  beautiful  work  of  the 
fourteenth  century,  probably  Burgundian  or  Flemish, 
reminding  one,  in  its  splendor  of  pure,  harmonious  color, 
of  the  pictures  of  the  great  contemporary  Flemish  painters 
— Memdling,  the  Van  Eycks,  and  their  fellows.  Its  fold¬ 
ing  leaves  are  ingeniously  contrived  entirely  to  enclose, 
at  will,  the  sacred  figures;  and  they  are  enameled  within 
and  without,  as  is  also  the  base,  with  that  glowing,  trans¬ 
lucent  enamel  which  we  spoke  of  at  the  beginning  as  the 
great  glory  of  this  period  of  the  art.  The  Cross  is  of 
pierced  pearls  and  precious  stones.  There  are  also  here 
some  admirable  examples  of  niello-work,  damascening  in 
black  on  silver,  whose  chief  artists  were  the  Italians  of  the 
fourteenth  and  fifteenth  centuries,  notably  the  Sienese. 
And  there  are  other  things,  which  the  lovers  of  beautiful 
things  (les  vrais  amateurs )  will  find  out  for  themselves. 


38 


RELIQUARY 

GOLD,  ENAMEL  AND  JEWELS 
BURGUNDIAN,  XIV  CENTURY 
GALLERY  12,  CASE  N 


GALLERY  THIRTEEN 
RENAISSANCE  PERIOD 


GALLERY  THIRTEEN 
THE  RENAISSANCE 
PERIOD 


ONE  branch  of  art  which  attained  a  remarkable  de¬ 
velopment  during  the  Renaissance  was  that  of  bronze 
casting.  This  art  had  not,  of  course,  remained  in  abey¬ 
ance  during  the  long  centuries  which  intervened  between 
the  fall  of  the  Classic  World  and  the  rebirth  of  civilization 
at  the  close  of  the  Dark  Ages,  but  it  was  not  until  the 
fifteenth  century  that  the  art  of  the  bron^ier  became  a 
popular  and  well-established  means  of  expression.  This 
newly  revived  art  flourished  particularly  in  Italy.  Many 
are  the  names  of  the  great  Italian  sculptors  who  worked 
at  one  time  or  another  in  bronze.  The  fifteenth  and 
sixteenth  centuries  witnessed  in  Italy  the  production  of  a 
vast  quantity  of  bronze  sculptures  which  range  from  such 
monumental  figures  as  the  Gattamelata  of  Donatello  to 
the  unpretentious  medal  of  some  anonymous  artist.  The 
larger  sculptures,  either  in  the  round  or  in  relief,  have 
always  held  the  interest  of  the  historian,  but  it  is  only 
recently  that  the  smaller  works,  the  statuettes,  domestic 

39 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
utensils,  plaquettes,  and  medals  have  been  accorded  the 
attention  which  they  merit. 

The  statuettes,  perhaps  the  most  interesting  class 
of  this  material,  may  be  divided  into  two  main  groups, 
original  works — either  studies  for  larger  sculptures  or 
made  for  their  own  sake — and  copies  more  or  less  free 
after  classical  originals.  Comparatively  few  monuments  of 
ancient  sculpture  were  known  in  the  Renaissance,  and 
these  were  zealously  treasured  by  their  fortunate  owners. 
In  consequence,  many  an  amateur  of  antiquity  had  per¬ 
force  to  console  himself  with  copies.  The  large  number 
of  such  bronze  copies  which  have  come  down  to  us  attests 
the  extraordinary  enthusiasm  for  classical  antiquity  which 
characterized  the  culture  of  the  Renaissance  and  the 
popularity  in  which  certain  works  were  held.  Classical 
example  was  also  responsible  in  a  large  measure  for  the 
development  of  the  medallist’s  art,  and  its  influence  is 
frequently  apparent  in  the  subjects  of  plaquettes  and 
in  the  motives  which  ornament  the  ink-stands  and  mortars 
and  other  domestic  utensils  upon  which  the  Renaissance 
bronze  worker  so  often  lavished  the  full  measure  of  his 
genius.  In  designing  small  bronzes  the  sculptor  enjoyed, 
as  a  rule,  more  freedom  in  the  choice  of  subject  and  treat¬ 
ment  than  he  did  in  his  larger  works,  particularly  in  those 
intended  for  the  adornment  of  the  Church.  He  was  free 
to  model  the  nude  human  body  and  to  design  his  work 
to  be  seen  not  from  one  point  of  view  alone,  but  from  all 

40 


GALLERY  TH I RTEEN 
sides.  It  would  consequently  be  impossible  to  arrive  at 
any  just  opinion  of  Italian  Renaissance  sculpture  with¬ 
out  taking  into  proper  consideration  the  small  bronzes 
which  often  represent  a  sculptor  at  his  happiest  moment 
of  inspiration  and  execution. 

During  the  Renaissance  these  bronzes  were  highly 
valued,  not  only  by  the  great  princely  patron,  but  also 
by  the  more  humble  amateur  who  graced  the  shelves  of 
his  study  with  a  few  choice  medals  and  little  figures. 
Such  a  room  Carpaccio  has  painted  in  one  of  his  decora¬ 
tions  for  S.  Giorgio  degli  Schiavoni,  representing  St. 
Jerome  reading  in  his  quiet  study.  The  small  bronzes  to 
be  found  in  the  art  cabinets  of  the  sixteenth  and  seven¬ 
teenth  centuries  were  prized  for  their  decorative  value 
during  the  two  following  centuries.  But  it  is  only  lately 
that  the  systematic  collection  of  Renaissance  bronze  has 
met  with  attention  and,  particularly  in  the  case  of  the 
statuettes,  has  been  made  the  subject  of  scientific  re¬ 
search.  A  distinguished  pioneer  in  this  field  of  study  has 
been  Dr.  Wilhelm  Bode,  whose  catalogue  of  Mr.  Morgan’s 
collection  of  Renaissance  bronzes  is  a  splendid  achieve¬ 
ment  of  criticism.  Among  the  private  collections  of 
Renaissance  bronzes  (not  including  medals  and  plaquettes) 
which  have  been  formed  within  the  last  few  years,  none 
is  more  important  either  in  the  number  of  objects 
contained  or  in  the  high  average  of  quality  than  Mr. 
Morgan’s. 


4i 


Case  L 


Case  M 


Cases 
A  and  B 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
This  collection  fills  nine  wall  cases  and  four  floor  cases. 
Some  of  the  larger  pieces  are  shown  on  pedestals.  The  ar¬ 
rangement  of  the  Italian  BRONZES  begins  on  the  left 
as  one  enters  the  room,  but  the  first  case  (L)  on  the  right 
contains  a  number  of  Early  Medi/eval  Pieces, 
for  the  most  part  of  French  or  German  origin. 
They  have  been  included  with  the  Renaissance  material 
exhibited  in  this  room  to  show  the  continuity  of  the  metal 
working  tradition,  which  may  be  studied  in  its  origin 
among  the  classical  bronzes  of  Gallery  1 1.  Of  these  early 
pieces,  many  of  them  in  brass,  there  should  be  especially 
noted  several  fine  pricket  candle-sticks,  illustrating  in  their 
grotesque  combinations  of  human  figures  and  monsters,  the 
inventive  fantasy  of  the  Middle  Ages.  In  this  case  there 
are  also  several  later  German  works,  notably  a  remark¬ 
able  reliquary  bust  of  Saint  Catherine  by  the  famous 
sculptor,  Veit  Stoss.  In  the  floor  case  (M)  oppo¬ 
site,  the  exhibition  is  continued.  Here  are  rare  ewers 
representing,  for  example,  a  knight  on  horseback,  or 
Samson  struggling  with  the  lion.  Another  important 
work  is  in  the  shape  of  a  man’s  head.  Typical  examples 
of  thirteenth-century  bronze  casting  are  three  recumbent 
lions  designed  for  the  base  of  a  candelabrum  originally 
in  the  Cathedral  of  St.  Hubert  in  Luxemburg.  An  ex¬ 
tremely  fine  reliquary  bust  should  also  be  noticed. 

The  arrangement  of  the  Italian  bronzes  be¬ 
gins  with  the  first  case  (A)  on  the  left  as  one  enters  the 


42 


THE  RESURRECTION 
LORENZO  VECCH I  ETTA 
EAST  WALL 


HERCULES 

ANTONIO  POLLAIUOLO 
CASE  A 


HERALDIC  FIGURE 
BERTOLDO  DI  GIOVANNI 
CASE  A 


GALLERY  TH I RTEEN 
room.  In  this  case  and  in  the  floor-case  (B)  near  by  are 
exhibited  Florentine  Bronzes  of  the  fifteenth 
and  sixteenth  centuries.  Bertoldo  di  Giovanni,  the 
pupil  of  Donatello  and  first  master  of  Michelangelo,  is 
represented  by  two  characteristic  figures,  a  Hercules  and  an 
heraldic  figure  of  which  the  pendant  is  in  the  Liechten¬ 
stein  Collection.  They  illustrate  admirably  his  severe 
and  forcible  style.  Two  other  works  to  be  noted  in  con¬ 
nection  with  these  are  an  Athlete,  of  the  school  of  Ber¬ 
toldo,  and  a  Hercules,  an  early  copy  after  the  master. 
An  artist  of  even  greater  distinction  was  Antonio  Pol¬ 
laiuolo.  His  Hercules,  the  central  figure  in  Case  A,  is 
one  of  the  most  striking  pieces  of  the  collection.  In 
vigorous  modelling  and  beauty  of  design,  it  would  be 
difficult  to  surpass.  The  figure,  which  represents  Her¬ 
cules  after  his  victory  over  the  Cretan  Bull,  has  been 
left  rough  cast  and  not  worked  over  with  the  chisel,  as 
was  frequently  the  case  with  Renaissance  bronzes.  Also 
by  this  artist  is  a  figure  of  Marsyas,  a  work  inspired  by  a 
classical  original,  and  a  graceful  figure  of  the  shepherd 
Paris.  Another  famous  bronze  worker  of  the  fifteenth 
century  was  Andrea  del  Verrocchio.  To  this  master  is 
attributed  a  small  figure  of  Hercules.  With  these  rare 
fifteenth-century  bronzes  of  the  Florentine  school  may 
be  mentioned  two  large  and  important  reliefs,  shown  on 
the  east  wall  of  the  gallery,  by  Lorenzo  Vecchietta,  one 
of  the  most  admirable  sculptors  of  the  Sienese  school. 

43 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
The  Resurrection,  executed  in  1472,  shows  in  particular 
his  austere  style  and  technical  ability. 

With  Leonardo  da  Vinci  and  Michelangelo  we  bridge 
over  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  centuries.  One  of  the 
most  interesting  bronzes  in  the  floor-case  B  is  the  atelier 
copy  of  a  model  by  Leonardo  for  his  celebrated  equestrian 
statue  of  Francesco  Sforza.  The  Moses  in  the  same  case 
is  an  interesting  work  by  a  follower  of  Michelangelo,  and 
the  Pieta  is  a  copy  of  the  master’s  original  in  St.  Peter’s, 
Rome.  A  third  bronze,  Samson  slaying  the  Philistine, 
reproduces  a  clay  model  by  Michelangelo  in  the  Buona- 
rotti  Collection,  Florence.  Francesco  da  San  Gallo  is 
represented  by  a  powerful  bronze,  undoubtedly  his  mas¬ 
terpiece,  of  St.  John  the  Baptist.  Far  removed  from  the 
harsh  strength  of  this  sculptor  is  the  ultra-refined  art  of 
Benvenuto  Cellini,  perhaps  the  most  typical  artist  of  the 
High  Renaissance.  A  Triton  blowing  a  long  horn  closely 
approaches  Cellini’s  style,  as  also  do  a  small  figure  of  a 
Griffin,  the  foot  or  support  of  a  coffer,  and  the  beautiful 
group  of  the  Triumph  of  Virtue  over  Vice,  almost  cer¬ 
tainly  the  work  of  the  master.  Associated  with  the 
Florentine  School,  although  he  was  not  an  Italian  by 
birth,  is  Gian  Bologna.  The  collection  contains  several 
fine  examples  by  this  master,  notably  the  signed  group  of 
Nessus  and  Dejanira,  shown  in  Case  B.  Two  lamps, 
harpies  mounted  upon  dolphin-like  monsters,  are  un¬ 
common  examples  of  Gian  Bologna’s  utilitarian  bronzes. 

44 


STUDY  FOR  AN  EQUESTRIAN  MONUMENT 
AFTER  A  MODEL  BY  LEONARDO  DA  VINCI 
CASE  B 


NESSUS  AND  DEJANIRA 
GIAN  BOLOGNA 
CASE  B 


QUEEN  TOMYRIS  WITH  THE  HEAD 
OF  CYRUS.  BARTOLOMEO  BELLANO 
CASE  D 


A  SATYR 

FRANCESCO  DA  SANT’aGATA 
CASE  D 


SATYR,  INKSTAND 
RICCIO 
CASE  E 


GALLERY  THIRTEEN 

Paduan  bronzes,  the  most  numerous  class  of  Re¬ 
naissance  bronzes,  fill  the  two  cases  against  the  west  wall, 
and  one  floor-case  near  by.  The  Paduan  school  owed 
much  to  the  inspiration  and  example  of  the  great  Floren¬ 
tine  master,  Donatello,  who  worked  in  Padua  for  ten 
years  from  1443  on,  and  established,  there  a  foundry 
and  school  which  flourished  for  nearly  a  century.  Two 
ornamented  caskets  in  Case  C,  generally  ascribed  to  Cara- 
dosso,  are  attributed  by  Dr.  Bode  to  some  unknown 
follower  of  Donatello.  The  first  great  sculptor  of  the 
Paduan  school,  Bartolomeo  Bellano,  was  also  closely 
associated  with  the  Florentine  master.  The  collection  is 
particularly  rich  in  works  by  Bellano.  In  the  floor-case 
E  is  one  of  his  rare  and  undoubted  originals,  Neptune 
riding  the  Sea  Monster,  one  of  the  principal  pieces  in  the 
former  Spitzer  and  Hainauer  Collections.  Other  impor¬ 
tant  bronzes  are  the  Marsyas  in  Case  C,  Queen  Tomyris 
with  the  head  of  Cyrus,  the  David,  and  the  gilded  bronze 
figure  of  Venus,  the  last  three  in  Case  D.  To  the  school 
of  Bellano  is  attributed  a  small  statuette  in  gilded  bronze 
of  St.  Jerome. 

The  great  master,  however,  of  the  Paduan  school  was 
Andrea  Briosco,  called  Riccio,  the  pupil  of  Bellano,  who 
flourished  in  the  latter  part  of  the  fifteenth  century  and 
early  in  the  sixteenth.  A  large  number  of  extremely  fine 
works  by  this  master,  as  well  as  a  representative  gathering 
of  school  works,  are  included  in  Mr.  Morgan’s  collection. 

45 


Cases  C, 
D  and  E 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
Among  the  originals  by  Riccio  should  be  noted  in  Case  E 
one  of  the  artist’s  masterpieces — a  statuette  probably 
representing  Susanna,  a  Triton  bearing  a  Nereid  on  his 
back,  and  a  large  ink-stand  of  a  seated  Satyr  holding  a 
cornucopia  which  serves  as  a  candle-stick.  This  last 
bronze  is  characteristic  of  a  large  group  of  similar  decora¬ 
tive  pieces  by  the  master  and  his  assistants  and  imitators. 
Another  fine  original  by  him,  in  this  class  of  objects,  is 
the  lamp  in  the  form  of  an  ancient  galley.  The  collection 
is  unusually  rich  in  these  decorative  objects,  ink-stands, 
hand-bells,  mortars,  and  lamps,  which  may  be  seen  in  all 
three  cases.  Different  in  character  is  the  work  of  a 
highly  original  sculptor,  Francesco  da  Sant’Agata,  who 
flourished  in  the  first  half  of  the  sixteenth  century.  By 
this  master  there  are  two  original  works  in  the  collection, 
and  a  later  copy  after  a  third.  The  Satyr  and  the  Nude 
Youth  with  his  arms  upraised  are  notable  for  their  beauty 
of  form  and  graceful  movement.  Paduan  artists  were 
especially  successful  in  their  studies  of  animals,  and  the 
visitor  should  note  among  these  works  several  studies  of 
horses  and  a  curiously  life-like  and  amusing  figure  of  a 
goat.  Before  leaving  the  Paduan  bronzes,  there  remains 
to  be  mentioned  the  bust  portrait  of  Marcantonio  Passeri, 
professor  of  philosophy  at  the  University  of  Padua,  which 
is  exhibited  on  a  pedestal  in  one  corner  of  the  room.  Un¬ 
assuming,  yet  full  of  life,  this  admirable  work  has  been 
tentatively  attributed  to  Riccio. 

46 


NEPTUNE  RIDING  A  SEA  MONSTER 
BARTOLOMEO  BELI.ANO 
CASE  E 


APOLLO  SUSANNA 

l’antico  RICCIO 

CASH  r.  CASE  E 


GALLERY  TH I RTEEN 

Venetian  bronzes,  particularly  the  decorative  ob¬ 
jects,  are  closely  related  in  style  to  the  Paduan  produc¬ 
tions.  A  representative  group  of  this  material  will  be 
found  in  Case  F.  With  one  exception,  a  little  St.  Sebas-  Case  F 
tian,  and,  possibly,  the  delightful  study  of  a  young  child, 
executed  in  the  fifteenth  or  early  sixteenth  century,  these 
bronzes  all  belong  to  the  High  Renaissance.  The  two 
great  sculptors  of  this  period  were  Jacopo  Sansovino  and 
Alessandro  Vittoria.  In  the  style  of  Sansovino  are  an 
elaborate  door-knocker,  and  an  ink-well,  the  bowl  of  which 
is  supported  by  three  seated  male  figures,  and  the  cover, 
crowned  with  a  standing  putto.  By  Alessandro  Vittoria 
is  a  pair  of  candle-sticks;  and  two  ink-wells  illustrate  the 
manner  of  his  school.  Two  unusual  bronzes,  probably 
representing  the  elements  Earth  and  Fire,  are  interesting 
pieces.  The  large  portrait  medallion  on  the  floor  of  the 
case,  by  Andrea  Spinelli,  is  a  typical  example  of  Venetian 
work  in  relief. 

In  Case  G  are  grouped  several  important  works  of  the  Case  G 
North  Italian  school.  Two  early  bronzes  are  es¬ 
pecially  interesting.  The  first  of  these  is  a  small  eques¬ 
trian  figure  representing  Alberico  Magno  de’  Suardi,  a 
North  Italian  work  of  about  1450.  The  other  is  a  high 
relief  of  the  Assumption,  in  the  style  of  Amadeo,  a  char¬ 
acteristic  production  of  the  Lombard  school.  Unusually 
important  is  a  group  of  four  figures  by  the  rare  Mantuan 
master  known  as  L’Antico,  whose  works  have  the  elegance 

47 


Case  H 


Cases 
I  and  J 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
and  distinction  of  the  classical  originals  he  so  much  ad¬ 
mired.  A  statuette  of  Apollo,  originally  holding  a  bow, 
is  obviously  inspired  by  the  Apollo  Belvedere.  Classical 
influence  is  also  apparent  in  the  Hercules  and  in  the  little 
figure  of  Cupid  bending  his  bow.  More  original  perhaps, 
at  least  instinct  with  more  personal  feeling,  is  the  figure 
of  Venus,  who  holds  a  round  mirror  in  her  hand. 

In  Case  H  are  bronzes  of  the  sixteenth  cen¬ 
tury,  for  the  most  part  unassigned  to  any  school.  One 
of  the  largest  pieces,  a  Gazelle,  is  presumably,  however, 
a  North  Italian  work.  The  bust  portrait  of  Pope  Gregory 
XIV,  dating  probably  about  1590,  is  one  of  the  most 
effective  in  the  small  group  known  of  similar  pieces. 
Several  little  figures  of  Boys  and  Cupids  are  charming 
genre  subjects.  A  Nude  Warrior  in  the  style  of  the 
Florentine,  Domenico  Poggini,  should  be  noticed. 

I  n  Cases  I  and  J  are  other  examples  of  SIXTEENTH 
AND  SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY  BRONZES. 
Among  the  former  in  Case  J  should  be  noticed  one  or 
two  examples  by  Florentine  followers  of  Giovanni  Bologna. 
Another  Florentine,  Pietro  Tacca,  whose  work  extends 
into  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century,  is  represented 
by  two  typical  works,  an  old  man  riding  a  goat,  and  a 
quite  extraordinary  inkstand  decorated  with  figures  repre¬ 
senting  the  martyrdom  of  St.  Laurence.  The  classicism 
of  the  LATE  RENAISSANCE,  which  had  little 
of  the  naive,  romantic  enthusiasm  of  the  early  period,  is 

48 


BUST  OF  MARCANTONIO  PASSERI 
RICCIO  (P) 


ANDREA  SPINELLI,  MEDALLION 
VENETIAN  SCHOOL 
CASE  F 


RELIQUARY  BUST,  ST.  CATHERINE 
VEIT  STOSS 
CASE  L 


GALLERY  THIRTEEN 
illustrated  by  several  bronzes  in  this  case,  for  instance,  the 
Meleager,  and  two  large  groups  of  Mercury  and  Cupid, 
probably  by  Francois  Duquesnoy.  Bronzes  similar  in 
character  fill  the  floor-case  1.  In  this  case,  besides  several 
fine  Italian  pieces  of  the  late  Renaissance,  is  an  import¬ 
ant  example  of  GERMAN  B  R'O  N  Z  E  S  in  the 
early  sixteenth  century,  Eve,  by  Hans  Vischer  of  the 
school  of  Nuremberg.  In  Case  K  is  another  interesting 
German  bronze,  a  man  holding  prickets  for  candles,  by 
Peter  Vischer  the  Younger.  Another  German  bronze  is 
the  high  relief  traditionally  described  as  Aristophanes, 
but  which,  as  the  motto  would  indicate,  more  probably 
represents  Hippocrates.  The  other  bronzes  in  this  case 
are  principally  FLEMISH  OR  NORTHERN 
FRENCH.  These  last  include  an  interesting  group 
of  seated  women,  bathing  or  arranging  their  hair,  by 
some  follower  of  Gian  Bologna.  Among  the  Flemish 
bronzes  may  be  noted  a  statuette  of  Diana,  dating 
about  1650,  and  two  figures  of  animals,  a  hound  and  a 
bull,  exemplifying  the  skill  of  the  Flemish  bronze  workers 
in  this  class  of  objects. 

In  examining  the  bronzes  the  visitor,  of  course,  has 
not  failed  to  notice  the  Della  Robbia  sculptures 
and  other  material  exhibited  in  this  room,  together  with 
the  collection  just  described.  It  has  seemed  better,  how¬ 
ever,  to  describe  these  objects  apart  from  the  bronzes 
rather  than  in  order  as  one  proceeds  around  the  room. 

49 


Case  K 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
At  the  left  of  Case  G  is  a  beautiful  terracotta  medallion 
of  the  Madonna  and  Angels  by  Luca  della  Robbia.  The 
two  charming  reliefs  in  ENAMELED  TERRA¬ 
COTTA  of  the  Virgin  adoring  the  Christ  Child,  which 
hang  on  the  south  wall,  represent  a  somewhat  later  phase 
of  the  della  Robbia  school  when  the  refined  grace  and 
elegance  of  Andrea  had  taken  the  place  of  Luca’s  greater 
simplicity.  Three  medallions  with  coats-of-arms  sur¬ 
rounded  by  wreaths  of  fruit  and  leaves  are  notable  for 
their  splendid  decorative  effect  and  rich  harmony  of 
colour.  Two  MARBLE  SCULPTURES  deserve 
more  than  the  brief  line  which  can  be  given  them.  These 
are  the  small  relief  of  the  Adoration  of  the  Magi,  attrib¬ 
uted  to  Mantegazza,  and  the  beautifully  designed  and 
executed  frieze  hanging  on  the  west  wall.  Above  this 
frieze  is  the  well-known  ALTAR-PIECE  by  Fra 
Filippo  Lippi,  painted,  according  to  Vasari,  for  Alessan¬ 
dro  degli  Alessandri,  who  is  represented  kneeling  in  the 
foreground  with  his  two  sons.  On  the  opposite  wall  is 
a  late  fifteenth-century  TAPESTRY,  charming  in 
colour,  which  represents  the  Judgment  of  the  Emperor 
Otho. 


50 


GALLERY  FOURTEEN 


GALLERY  FOURTEEN 
RENAISSANCE  PERIOD 


GALLERY  FOURTEEN 
THE  RENAISSANCE 
PERIOD 


1  HE  exhibition  of  Renaissance  material  is  continued 
in  Gallery  14,  which  has  for  its  central  feature  the  famous 
altar-piece  painted  by  the  youthful  Raphael  for  the  nuns 
of  the  Convent  of  St.  Anthony  of  Padua  in  Perugia  in 
1504-05.  The  largest  collection  shown  in  this  gallery 
is  that  of  ITALIAN  MAJOLICA,  which  fills 
twelve  wall  cases  arranged  in  order  around  the  room, 
beginning  at  the  right  of  the  south  entrance.  In 
its  extent  and  the  remarkable  quality  of  the  pieces 
which  compose  it,  this  collection,  one  of  the  finest  in 
private  possession,  illustrates  in  an  exceptional  way 
the  splendid  achievements  of  Renaissance  ceramic 
art. 

The  Italian  ware  known  as  M  A  J  O  L I  C  A  differs  in  its 
technical  aspect  from  the  earlier  pottery  in  the  thin  coat¬ 
ing  of  opaque,  and  generally  white,  stanniferous  enamel 
which  protects  the  surface.  This  use  of  stanniferous 
enamel,  probably  introduced  by  or  learned  from  Moorish 
potters,  or  directly  from  the  Orient,  was  known  in  Italy 

5i 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
at  least  as  early  as  the  later  years  of  the  fourteenth  cen¬ 
tury,  and  eventually  superseded  in  popular  favor  the 
manufacture  of  slip-covered  “sgraffito”  ware,  covered 
with  a  transparent,  plumbeous  glaze,  which  was  the 
characteristic  faience  of  the  Middle  Ages  and  continued 
to  be  produced,  side  by  side  with  true  majolica  during 
the  Quattrocento.  The  name  “majolica”  is  derived 
from  the  little  Spanish  island  of  Majorca,  a  half-way 
port  in  the  maritime  commerce  between  Italy  and  Spain. 
At  first  used  only  to  describe  the  lustred  faience  imported 
from  Spain,  its  use  was  later  extended  to  include  as  well 
the  lustred  productions  of  the  factories  at  Gubbio  and 
Deruta.  To-day,  although  incorrectly,  we  commonly  des¬ 
ignate  as  “majolica”  not  only  the  lustred,  but  also  the 
unlustred  enameled  Renaissance  pottery,  and  give  to  the 
earlier  slip-covered  ware  with  transparent  glaze  the  some¬ 
what  unfortunate  name  of  mezza-majolica.  To  return, 
for  a  moment,  to  lustred  majolica.  The  application  of 
metallic  lustre  to  enameled  pottery  appears  to  have  been 
derived,  together  with  the  use  of  stanniferous  enamel, 
from  Saracenic  or  Oriental  potters.  The  great  develop¬ 
ment  of  this  art  in  Italy  was  largely  due  to  the  skillful 
direction  of  the  Gubbio  furnaces,  where  it  attained  its 
highest  perfection.  Pesaro  and  Deruta  claim  its  still 
earlier  use,  but  in  the  sixteenth  century  the  great  center 
of  lustring  was  undoubtedly  at  Gubbio,  where  pieces 
often  painted  elsewhere,  notably  in  Urbino  and  Castel 


52 


GALLERY  FOURTEEN 
Durante,  were  enriched  with  metallic  lustre,  the  glitter 
of  gold  and  silver,  and  most  prized  of  all,  a  glowing  ruby- 
red. 

Aside  from  enameled  floor-tiles  and  sculptures  in 
enameled  terracotta,  for  example,  the  della  Robbia  re¬ 
liefs  in  Gallery  13  and  in  this  room,  together  with  two 
interesting  though  scarcely  beautiful  portrait  busts  by 
an  artist  of  far  less  merit,  the  usual  examples  of  Italian 
majolica  may  be  broadly  divided  into  two  classes:  one, 
of  objects  destined  for  daily  use;  the  other,  of  decorative 
pieces,  piatti  di  pompa,  large  plates  to  be  suspended  from 
the  wall  or  exposed  upon  credent e  or  sideboards,  huge 
vessels,  ornamental  pieces  which  attest  the  Renaissance 
love  of  magnificence  and  splendor.  To  this  second  group 
belong  most  of  the  richly  decorated  majolica  pieces,  but 
this  does  not  argue  any  lack  of  beauty  in  the  simpler 
objects.  On  the  contrary,  they  are  often  superior  both 
in  design  and  shape.  A  well-known  class  of  objects 
combines  both  utilitarian  and  decorative  purposes. 
These  are  the  slightly  concave,  cylindrical  jars  intended 
to  hold  drugs  and  accordingly  known  as  “pharmacy 
vases,"  or  albarelli  (little  trees),  so  called  because  of  their 
resemblance  to  the  short  lengths  of  bamboo  which  con¬ 
tained  the  spices  imported  from  the  Orient. 

From  the  standpoint  of  pure  decoration,  early  Rena¬ 
issance  majolica  is  often  in  many  ways  finer  than  the 
later  productions.  Ornamental  motives,  whether  or 


Gallery 

•3 


53 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
not  with  representative  elements,  are  treated  conven¬ 
tionally  in  a  way  suited  to  their  decorative  purpose. 
Even  when  portraits  or  figures  are  introduced,  they  are 
rendered  naively,  so  that  they  tell  rather  as  decoration 
than  as  representation.  But  with  growing  technical 
facility  and  the  natural  change  in  taste  which  marked 
the  transition  from  the  spontaneity  of  the  early  age  to 
the  elegance  and  luxury  of  the  High  Renaissance,  there 
came  a  growing  fondness  for  a  more  pictorial  rendering 
of  subjects,  rarely  the  invention  of  the  majolica  painter, 
but  copied  as  a  rule  from  contemporary  engravings  and 
wood-cuts.  Marcantonio’s  engravings  after  Raphael  were 
much  favored,  as  several  pieces  in  the  present  collection 
bear  witness.  This  tendency  was  unfortunate  on  the 
whole;  the  Massacre  of  the  Innocents,  for  example,  does 
not  commend  itself  particularly  as  an  appropriate  sub¬ 
ject  for  the  decoration  of  a  plate  from  which  one  expects 
to  eat.  But  this  must  be  said  by  way  of  justification — the 
plate  was  intended  only  secondarily  for  use;  its  principal 
service  was  to  make  part  of  the  brave  show  which  decked 
the  sideboard  of  some  stately  room.  A  few  words  must 
be  said  upon  the  wide  variety  of  subjects  which  the 
majolica  painter  was  called  upon  to  represent.  For  the 
religious-minded  patron  there  were  figures  of  saints  and 
incidents  from  holy  legends.  Equally  popular  were  the 
scenes  from  classical  fables  and  ancient  history,  portrait- 
heads  of  Roman  emperors,  gods  and  goddesses,  all  intended 

54 


VIRGIN  AND  CHILD,  ENTHRONED  WITH  SAINTS 
BY  RAPHAEL 


bAFA 


VASE — WITH  ORSINI  ARMS  AND 
PORTRAIT  OF  A  MAN 
TUSCAN,  XV  CENTURY 
CASE  A 


PLATE — PORTRAIT  OF  A  LADY 
TUSCAN,  XV  CENTURY 
CASE  A 


PLATE — BEAR  HUNT 
CAFFAGGIOLO,  XVI  CENTURY 
CASE  C 


GALLERY  FOURTEEN 
to  win  the  heart  of  the  devoted  humanist.  Finally,  for 
the  lover,  amorous  scenes,  portraits  of  the  betrothed, 
clasped  hands  and  affecting  mottoes. 

The  arrangement  of  the  exhibition,  which  has  had  to 
be  a  somewhat  flexible  one,  begins  with  the  pieces  in  the 
first  case  (A)  on  the  right  of  the  south  door.  In  this  and  Cases  A 
the  following  case  (B)  are  shown  several  fine  Quattro¬ 
cento  pieces,  probably  Florentine,  certainly  of  Tus¬ 
can  Manufacture.  Among  these  should  be  noted 
a  large  vase  ornamented  with  a  portrait-head  and  a 
shield  of  arms  framed  in  wreaths;  a  plate  with  the 
portrait  of  some  gallant’s  inamorata;  another  with  a 
symbolic  figure  of  Time  copied  from  an  early  engraving. 

In  strength  and  beauty  of  design  these  pieces  are  typical 
of  the  finest  productions  of  the  fifteenth-century  potters. 

A  little  later  is  the  splendid  vase,  in  Case  A,  with  plastic 
as  well  as  painted  ornamentation,  probably  intended  for 
the  decoration  of  an  altar. 

At  Caffaggiolo,  near  Florence,  there  was  early 
developed  one  of  the  most  important  factories  of  painted 
majolica.  Commencing  towards  the  end  of  the  fourteenth 
century,  the  industry  flourished  for  over  two  centuries, 
particularly  in  the  sixteenth  century  under  the  later  pa¬ 
tronage  of  the  Medici.  The  wares  of  this  fabrique  are 
remarkable  for  richness  of  glaze  and  coloring,  in  which  a 
deep  blue  and  strong  yellow  predominate.  Several  ex¬ 
amples  of  this  ware,  at  certain  periods,  closely  resembling 

55 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
Case  C  Faentine  majolica,  are  shown  in  Case  C'and  elsewhere. 

Together  with  this  Tuscan  majolica  there  is  exhibited 
in  Case  B  an  example  of  the  so-called  Medici  Ware, 
the  earliest  known  European  porcelain  of  which  examples 
have  survived  to  us.  Of  this  rare  product  of  the  Floren¬ 
tine  factories  towards  the  end  of  the  sixteenth  century, 
there  are  known  hardly  more  than  thirty  pieces.  Besides 
the  piece  just  mentioned,  there  are  on  exhibition  in  the 
Museum  two  other  examples  of  Medici  porcelain  acquired 
by  Mr.  Morgan  at  the  Taylor  sale  and  placed  at  that 
time  in  our  Wing  of  Decorative  Arts  as  a  loan.  While 
speaking  of  Tuscan  ware,  mention  may  be  made  of  a 
fine  plate  in  Case  B,  typical  of  the  elaborate  patterns 
of  the  manufactory  in  Siena. 

The  question  of  priority  among  the  great  centres  of 
majolica  production  in  Italy  has  never  been  satisfactorily 
settled.  There  can  be  no  doubt,  however,  that  one  of  the 
earliest  potteries  was  established  at  Faenza.  From  the 
latter  part  of  the  fifteenth  through  the  sixteenth  century, 
the  industry  flourished  in  no  uncertain  way,  reaching  its 
apogee  early  in  the  Cinquecento.  Faenza  was  not  only 
one  of  the  earliest  and  most  productive  centres,  but  in 
point  of  quality  and  artistic  excellence  its  wares  were 
Cases  D,  rivalled  by  few.  In  cases  D,  E,  and  F  are  exhibited 
E  and  F  several  examples  of  early  majolica  made  in  Faenza 
and  a  representative  gathering  of  the  most  characteristic 
productions  of  the  later  Faentine  potters.  The  most 

56 


LARGE  JUG 

FAENZA,  CASA  PIROTA,  XVI  CENTURY 
CASE  F 


TWO-HANDLED  VASE 
FAENZA,  XV  CENTURY 
CASE  E 


PLATE — WOMAN  WITH  LUTE 
DERUTA,  XVI  CENTURY 
CASE  G 


PLATE — PORTRAIT  OF  MAN 
DERUTA,  XVI  CENTURY 
CASE  G 


PLATE — SAINT  MARGARET 
MAESTRO  GIORGIO,  GUBBIO,  I  527 
CASE  J 


GALLERY  FOURTEEN 
important  atelier  of  this  period  was  the  Casa  Pirota,  a 
bottega  which  flourished  for  a  decade  or  more  from  about 
1525  onwards.  Its  numerous  productions  are  character¬ 
ized  by  a  fondness  for  painting  a  berettino  or  sopra  a^urro, 
that  is,  upon  a  deep  blue  background;  utilizing  this  color 
— always  a  favorite  one  with  the  Faentine  artists — for 
the  shadows  of  the  design.  In  Case  F  are  shown  several 
typical  examples  of  the  Casa  Pirota  ware,  notably  a 
splendid  large  pitcher  with  a  figure  of  a  musician  (Apollo?) 
and  two  portrait-heads  painted  in  medallions  upon  the 
richly  patterned  blue  ground. 

From  the  Faenza  productions  we  pass  to  those  of 
D  e  r  u  T  a  ,  exhibited  in  Case  G,  with  a  few  pieces  in  Case 
H.  The  nine  large  plates  in  Case  G,  with  their  char-  Case  G 
acteristic  pale  gold  or  chamois  lustre,  reminiscent  of 
the  imported  pieces  from  Spain,  are  a  remarkably  fine 
group  of  this  attractive  ware  at  its  best  period,  the  early 
part  of  the  sixteenth  century.  These  plates,  together 
with  the  three  in  Case  H,  illustrate  not  only  the  technical 
peculiarities  of  the  ware,  but  also  the  usual  range  of  sub¬ 
jects  occurring  in  Deruta  majolica:  ideal  heads  of  heroes 
or  of  beautiful  ladies  surrounded  with  flowers,  twining 
ribbons  bearing  names  and  amorous  inscriptions;  repre¬ 
sentations  of  saints,  especially  of  St.  Francis,  since  Deruta 
was  so  near  Assisi;  coats-of-arms,  and  profane  subjects, 
such  as  the  nude  woman  with  the  lute  or  Diana  and  her 
nymphs  bathing,  two  fine  plates  in  Case  G.  In  this  case 

57 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
are  also  two  beautiful  portrait-heads,  and  a  representa¬ 
tion  of  St.  Francis,  notable  for  the  depth  of  color  and  the 
bright  golden  lustre.  Of  the  Deruta  masters  we  know 
only  one  who  signed  his  pieces  with  his  name  and  locality: 
El  Frate  in  Deruta.  To  this  master,  active  between  1541 
and  1554,  may  be  attributed  a  plate  in  Case  1,  signed  el 
frate  1545.  It  is  widely  different  in  style,  however,  from 
the  pieces  just  noted,  and  attests  the  changes  which  set 
in  towards  the  middle  of  the  century. 

One  of  the  most  important  and  flourishing  centres  of 
ceramic  art  in  the  sixteenth  century  was  Urbino, 
although  the  potteries  there  do  not  appear  to  have  been 
established  as  early  as  those  of  Faenzaand  Deruta.  The 
characteristic  style  of  the  Cinquecento  Urbino  pieces  is 
easily  recognized.  They  usually  are  decorated  with  figure 
compositions  grandiose  in  style  and  design,  copied  from 
engravings,  or  with  fanciful  arabesques  or  grotesques,  and 
in  color  show  a  fondness  for  shades  of  yellow  and  green 
and  deep  cobalt.  The  names  of  many  of  the  Urbino 
masters  are  known.  The  Fontana  family  produced 
many  artists,  of  whom  perhaps  the  most  celebrated  was 
Case  H  Orazio,  by  whom  there  is  in  Case  H  a  large,  deep 
dish  decorated  with  grotesques  and  a  central  composi¬ 
tion  representing  Samson  slaying  a  Philistine.  Another 
well-known  artist  working  at  Urbino  was  Francesco 
Xanto  Avelli  da  Rovigo,  many  of  whose  pieces  were 
subsequently  enriched  with  metallic  lustre  at  Gubbio. 

58 


PORTRAIT  BUST 
ITALIAN,  ABOUT  I  5 00 


PLATE - WITH  THE  ARMS  OF  ISABELLA 

D'ESTE.  NICCOLO  PELLIPARIO,  CASTEL 
DURANTE,  XVI  CENTURY 
CASE  L 


PLATE — DECORATED  WITH  GRO¬ 
TESQUES.  CASTEL  DURANTE,  DATED 

1537 


CASE  L 


MONSTRANCE 

SI  I.VER-GI  LT  AND  ENAMEL 
ITALIAN,  XV  CENTURY 
CASE  M 


GALLERY  FOURTEEN 
Such  a  piece  is  shown  in  Case  I.  Two  other  interest-  Case  I 
ing  examples  by  this  master,  although  without  lustre, 
may  be  seen  in  Case  H.  Besides  these  Urbino  plates 
and  bowls  shown  in  Cases  H  and  1,  there  should  also 
be  noted  two  large  ink-stands  with ,  figures  in  Case  1 , 
and  a  large  cistern,  a  typical  example  of  the  magnificent 
“show  pieces”  produced  by  the  Urbino  masters. 

The  fame  of  the  potteries  at  Gubbio  rests  almost 
solely  on  their  productions  enriched  with  metallic  lustre. 

Not  only  were  objects  of  local  manufacture  so  treated,  but, 
as  it  has  been  said,  painted  majolica  pieces  were  sent  to  be 
lustred  at  Gubbio  from  the  ateliers  of  Faenza,  Urbino 
and  Castel  Durante.  Towards  the  end  of  the  fifteenth 
century  a  certain  Giorgio  Andreoli,  better  known  as 
Maestro  Giorgio,  came  from  his  native  Pavia  to  Gubbio, 
where  he  soon  acquired  renown  for  the  beautiful  quality 
and  color  of  his  lustre,  particularly  of  the  deep  ruby-red 
which  was  quite  unique  in  the  history  of  Italian  ceramics. 

Maestro  Giorgio’s  dated  pieces  range  between  1519  and 
1537,  but  it  is  probable  that  he  did  not  die  until  1552. 

In  Case  J,  together  with  other  lustred  Gubbio  pieces  Case  J 
of  great  beauty,  are  several  signed  examples  by  this 
famous  master.  Hardly  less  beautiful  is  the  shimmer¬ 
ing  lustre  on  the  majolica  pieces  exhibited  in  Case  K.  Case  K 
Several  painted  and  lustred  plaques  with  figures,  notably 
the  large  framed  piece  hanging  above  Case  L,  should 
also  be  noted. 


59 


Case  L 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 

In  Case  L  we  have,  finally,  examples  of  the  very  im¬ 
portant  potteries  of  Cast  el  Durante,  which  emerge 
into  history  at  an  early  date,  although  we  are  able  to 
assign  with  certainty  to  this  atelier  only  its  produc¬ 
tions  during  the  High  Renaissance.  The  Castel  Dur¬ 
ante  pieces  are  remarkable  for  their  decorative  use  of 
such  motives  as  grotesques,  trophies  of  arms,  musical 
instruments,  and  similar  devices;  and  for  the  beautiful 
quality  of  the  white  enamel.  The  favorite  colors  are  blue, 
green,  and  yellow.  The  Morgan  Collection  contains  one 
of  the  few  signed  pieces  of  the  Castel  Durante  ware,  a 
large  plate  representing  a  female  saint  hung  by  her  feet, 
signed  by  Sebastio  de  Marporio  and  dated  1510.  Three 
celebrated  pieces  in  the  collection  are  exhibited  in  Case  L. 
These  are  three  plates  with  coats-of-arms  and  legendary 
scenes  which  originally  formed  part  of  a  magnificent  service 
made  for  Isabella  d’Este  (d.  1539)  with  the  Este-Gonzaga 
arms.  Five  other  pieces  of  this  famous  set  are  dispersed 
among  the  Alphonse  de  Rothschild  and  Campe  collections, 
the  Bologna  Museum,  the  British  Museum,  and  the 
Victoria  and  Albert  Museum.  This  service,  one  of  the 
finest  achievements  of  Italian  ceramic  art,  has  been 
attributed  to  Niccolo  Pellipario  (called  also  Niccolo  da 
Urbino),  whose  descendants,  settled  at  Urbino,  there 
assumed  the  now  famous  name  of  Fontana. 

The  floor-cases  M,  N  and  P  contain  principally  examples 
of  ECCLESIASTICAL  METAL  WORK,  crosses, 

60 


GALLERY  FOURTEEN 
monstrances,  reliquaries,  paxes,  and  other  pieces  of  church 
furniture  in  silver-gilt  or  gold,  ornamented  with  enameled 
plaques,  verre  eglomise  panels,  crystal,  precious  stones,  or 
other  materials  which  served  the  goldsmith  in  his  sump¬ 
tuous  art.  Perhaps  the  favorite  means  of  adornment  were 
the  small  plaques  of  Translucent  Enamel  over  silver 
carved  in  very  flat  relief — basse-taille,  as  the  process  is 
known.  In  the  fourteenth  century  and  throughout  most 
of  the  following,  this  variety  of  enameling  enjoyed  great 
popularity  in  Italy.  The  Morgan  Collection  contains  many 
superb  examples  of  these  lovely  enamels  so  rich  in  color  and 
so  effective  in  design.  Unfortunately  silver  offers  but 
little  “grip”  for  enamel,  and  it  is  seldom  that  a  piece  has 
come  down  to  us  intact.  These  translucent  Italian 
basse-taille  enamels  are  comparatively  rare  to-day,  and 
their  large  representation  in  the  collection  is  particularly 
noteworthy.  A  splendid  example  of  fourteenth-century 
Sienese  work  is  shown  in  Case  M.  This  is  a  chalice  Case  M 
ornamented  with  a  number  of  small  enameled  silver 
plaques,  gorgeous  in  color  and  of  great  historical  in¬ 
terest,  since  from  an  inscription  we  learn  that  this 
chalice  was  originally  the  property  of  the  Abbey  of  St. 

Michael  in  Siena,  founded  in  the  eleventh  century,  and 
at  the  time  the  chalice  was  made,  belonging  to  the  Order 
of  Vallombrosa.  Another  fine  piece  is  the  large  cross, 
in  the  same  case,  ornamented  with  enameled  plaques. 

Another  similar  cross  is  shown  in  Case  N.  But  before 


61 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
leaving  Case  M,  mention  must  be  made  of  several  impor¬ 
tant  pieces,  notably  a  large  silver-gilt  monstrance  with  an 
enamel  representing  St.  Peter,  and  a  remarkable  silver 
gilt  pax  with  a  relief  of  the  Flagellation  in  wrought  gold 
against  an  enameled  background,  attributed  to  Averlino 
(Filarete)  or,  by  other  critics,  to  Moderno.  This  pax 
was  made  for  Cardinal  Borgia  (d.  1 509)  when  Archbishop 
of  Monreale,  and  formed  part  of  the  treasure  of  the  Cathe¬ 
dral  of  Tarazona,  Aragon.  A  small  casket  in  verre 
eglomise  should  also  be  noted  in  this  case.  The  term 
“verre  eglomise’  is  derived  from  a  certain  French  goldsmith 
and  glass-painter  of  the  eighteenth  century  named  Glomi. 
Although  the  process  of  painting  on  glass  is  of  great 
antiquity,  this  name  has  come  to  be  used  as  a  convenient 
description  for  all  painted  decoration  applied  to  the  under 
surface  of  panels  of  rock-crystal  or  glass. 

Two  diptychs,  rare  and  early  examples  of  verre  eglo- 
Case  P  mise,  are  shown  in  the  floor-case  P.  Translucent  enamels, 
however,  form  the  most  important  class  of  material  in 
this  case.  Notable  is  a  set  of  Sienese  enamels  on  small 
medallions,  a  large  morse,  and  several  plaques  in  trans¬ 
lucent  enamel  from  the  extremities  of  a  cross.  Equally 
interesting  are  four  lockets  and  the  two  plaques  orna¬ 
mented  with  engraved  designs  on  silver  filled  in  with  a 
black  composition  material,  known  as  niello. 

Case  N  1  n  Case  N  are  two  large  crosses  decorated  with  niello 
plaques,  beautiful  examples  of  fifteenth-century  Italian 

62 


CHALICE 

SILVER-GILT  AND  TRANSLUCENT  ENAMEL. 
SIENESE,  XIV  CENTURY 
CASE  M 


PAX 

SILVER-GILT,  WITH  CENTRAL 
PANEL  OF  VERRE  EGLOMISE 
MILANESE,  LATE  XV  CENTURY 
CASE  N 


-1 


SMALL  SHRINE 

ROCK-CRYSTAL,  ENAMEL  AND  JEWELS 
SPANISH,  XVI  CENTURY 
CASE  N 


GALLERY  FOURTEEN 
work  in  this  fascinating  branch  of  the  goldsmith’s  art. 
One  of  the  most  important  pieces  in  this  case  is  the 
large  silver-gilt  pax  enriched  with  enamel,  precious 
stones,  and  verre  eglomise  panels.  This  admirable  piece 
dates  from  the  late  fifteenth  century'  and  is  probably 
Milanese  in  origin,  although  some  critics  hold  it  to  be 
French.  It  closely  resembles  the  famous  Baiser  de  Paix, 
in  the  Louvre,  presented  by  Henri  III  to  the  Chapel 
of  the  Order  of  the  Saint  Esprit.  It  is  regrettable  that 
the  coats-of-arms  which  would  have  aided  in  determining 
the  origin  of  the  Morgan  pax  have  been  removed.  Sim¬ 
ilar  in  style  to  the  verre  eglomist  central  panel  is  a  late 
fifteenth-century  pax  with  a  painting  under  glass  repre¬ 
senting  the  Madonna  and  Child  and  four  saints.  The 
arms  are  those  of  the  Benucci  family  of  Montalcino 
whence  this  pax  is  said  to  have  come.  A  small  reliquary 
of  silver-gilt,  richly  jeweled,  in  this  case  is  one  of  the  most 
interesting  objects  in  the  collection.  In  the  centre  is  a 
large  sapphire  engraved  with  a  representation  of  the 
Crucifixion,  and  above  it,  is  an  amethyst  carved  to  repre¬ 
sent  the  head  of  Christ.  Both  these  jewels,  together  with 
the  small  gold  cross  at  the  top  of  the  reliquary,  are  much 
older  than  their  present  setting,  which  dates  from  the 
early  seventeenth  century,  and  are  said  to  have  formed 
part  originally  of  the  celebrated  treasure  of  the  Cathedral 
of  Oviedo  in  Spain.  The  workmanship  is  Spanish,  with 
the  exception  of  the  foot,  which  was  probably  added  to 

63 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
the  piece  in  Elanders.  Another  Spanish  piece  is  a  small 
portable  reliquary  of  rock-crystal  and  enameled  gold, 
originally  in  the  possession  of  a  member  of  the  Campana 
family  and  said  to  have  been  in  the  Relicario  of  the  Cathe¬ 
dral  of  Santiago  de  Compostella  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
sixteenth  century.  Of  great  beauty  and  interest  is  the 
small  shrine  or  reliquary  composed  of  a  jeweled  base  and 
an  octagonal  piece  of  rock-crystal,  within  which  is  set 
a  group  representing  the  Crucifixion,  wrought  in  gold 
and  enamel.  This  piece  came  originally  from  the  con¬ 
vent  of  the  Carmelites  de  Peneranda  de  Bracamonte  in 
the  province  of  Salamanca.  It  is  said  to  have  been  set 
upon  a  wonderful  rock-crystal  tabernacle,  richly  mounted 
in  enamel,  which  served  as  a  reliquary.  This  small 
shrine  is  Spanish  work  of  the  sixteenth  century.  Another 
piece  of  similar  date  and  notable  for  the  beauty  of  the 
enameling  is  the  so-called  Guzman  cross  of  rock-crystal 
and  enameled  gold.  The  original  mount,  however, 
would  appear  to  have  been  ebony.  A  few  other  examples 
of  crystal  are  shown  in  Case  N,  but  the  greater  number 
Case  O  of  these  rare  objects  will  be  found  in  the  adjoining  Case  O. 

The  art  of  working  ROCK-CRYSTAL  in  the 
Middle  Ages  and  Renaissance  was  one  of  considerable  im¬ 
portance,  and  the  various  vessels  carved  from  it  and  beau¬ 
tifully  engraved  with  ornamentation  and  figures  were 
always  highly  prized.  Large  clear  pieces  were  extremely 
difficult  to  obtain,  and  hence  the  material  was  regarded 

64 


EWER 

ROCK-CRYSTAL 
MILANESE,  XVI  CENTURY 
CASE  O 


OVAL  PLAQUE 

BATTLE  SCENE.  ROCK-CRYSTAL 
GIOV.  BERNARDI  OF  CASTEL-BOLOGNESE  (1495—1  555) 
CASE  O 


TAPESTRY.  THE  CRUCIFIXION 
BRUSSELS,  ABOUT  I  $20 

WOVEN  BY  PIERRE  DE  PANNEMAKER,  AFTER  A  CARTOON 
BY  BERNARD  VAN  ORLEY 


GALLERY  FOURTEEN 
as  one  of  such  rarity  that  objects  made  from  it  were 
considered  worthy  to  be  presented  to  monarchs,  who 
esteemed  them  all  the  more,  perhaps,  because  it  was 
believed  that  a  cup  of  rock-crystal  would  turn  milky  in 
color  if  poison  was  poured  into  it.  No  private  collection 
contains  so  many  fine  examples  of  rock-crystal  as  this 
remarkable  group  shown  in  the  cases  of  Gallery  14,  with 
a  few  of  the  later  pieces  shown  elsewhere.  Space,  how¬ 
ever,  does  not  permit  more  than  a  brief  mention  of  one 
or  two  of  the  most  important  pieces.  Among  these  is 
a  large  rock-crystal  ewer  with  engraved  scenes  from  the 
story  of  Apollo.  It  has  been  suggested,  and  it  is  probably 
true,  that  this  remarkable  piece  is  the  work  of  the  Sarachi 
brothers,  notable  carvers  in  rock-crystal,  who  resided  in 
Milan  in  the  sixteenth  century  and  executed  the  splendid 
casket  (now  in  the  Escorial)  made  by  order  of  the  Duchess 
of  Savoy  for  her  sister.  The  satyr’s  head  on  the  ewer 
is  probably,  then,  the  work  of  the  famous  goldsmith, 
Giovanni  Battista  Croce,  the  favorite  jeweler  of  the 
Duchess  of  Savoy,  who  carried  out  the  exquisite  metal 
work  for  the  coffer.  Signed  pieces  of  crystal-carving 
are  so  rare  that  the  presence  of  several  such  pieces  in  the 
collection  gives  to  it  unusual  distinction.  One  of  these 
is  a  shrine,  enriched  with  gold  and  enamel  work,  by  Adam 
van  Vianen,  born  in  Utrecht  about  1570,  and  died  there 
somewhere  between  1627  and  early  in  1628.  By  an 
artist  even  more  famous  for  his  crystal-carving,  Giovanni 

65 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
Bernardi,  of  Castel  Bolognese,  who  was  born  in  1495, 
and  died  in  Faenza  in  1555,  is  an  oval  medallion  engraved 
with  a  battle  scene.  Giovanni  Bernardi  was  the  first 
crystal-cutter  whose  work  seems  comparable  with  that 
of  the  antique,  and  the  work  of  his  hand  is  worthy  of 
high  praise.  Another  piece,  a  standing  cup  with  cover, 
German  work  of  the  early  seventeenth  century,  is  signed 
by  the  engraver,  F.  Zach.  This  signature,  however,  re¬ 
mains  somewhat  of  a  puzzle  and  various  conjectura 
identifications  have  been  advanced.  It  may  be,  however, 
the  work  of  a  certain  F.  Zach,  an  ingenious  wood-carver 
who  lived  about  1684  in  Thalhausen  and  worked  in  the 
Benedictine  convent  at  Ochsenhausen  in  the  kingdom 
of  Wurtemberg.  Of  the  other  crystal  pieces  it  will  be 
possible  to  mention  but  a  few:  a  beautifully  engraved 
bowl  from  the  Odescalchi  collection,  formerly  in  the 
possession  of  Queen  Christina  of  Sweden;  and  two  fan¬ 
tastic  vases  in  the  form  of  winged  monsters. 

Before  concluding  the  description  of  Case  O,  a  few 
words  must  be  said  concerning  several  fine  pieces  of 
AMBER  there  included  with  the  rock-crystal.  One  of 
the  most  important  is  a  shell-shaped  cup,  in  which  an 
amorino  lies  asleep:  the  stem  is  of  wrought  gold,  richly 
enameled,  and  represents  the  Tree  of  Good  and  Evil, 
fastened  upon  a  rough  base  of  clear  amber.  This  piece 
was  at  one  time  in  the  famous  Farnese  collection,  and 
belonged  either  to  Cardinal  Alessandro  Farnese  or  to  his 

66 


GALLERY  FOURTEEN 
brother.  Cardinal  Ranuccio  Farnese.  The  cup  is  German 
work  of  the  late  sixteenth  century. 

In  Case  Q  are  shown  together  VENETIAN 
GLASS  and  enamel,  for  the  most  part  of  the  sixteenth 
century.  The  collection  of  glass  includes  several  rare 
early  pieces.  Note,  for  example,  the  tall  goblet  decorated 
with  a  figure  composition;  also,  a  small  bowl  with  enam¬ 
eled  decoration  in  white,  blue,  and  greenish  turquoise,  and 
the  profile  portrait  of  a  young  man.  A  large  blue  tazza 
enameled  with  a  pattern  in  red,  white,  and  turquoise 
blue,  as  well  as  two  other  similar  pieces  in  white  glass, 
may  be  mentioned.  Two  small  vases  with  blue  handles 
are  particularly  beautiful  in  shape.  Seven  pieces  of 
Venetian  blue  and  white  enamel,  with  the  characteristic 
enrichment  in  gold,  form  an  important  group  of  this 
material.  Attributed  to  Benedetto  da  Rovezzano  is  a 
statuette  in  polychromed  and  gilded  wood  of  St.  George, 
victorious  in  his  combat  with  the  dragon. 

Two  of  the  finest  TAPESTRIES  in  the  collection 
are  shown  in  Gallery  14.  They  are  both  Flemish,  and 
date  from  the  early  years  of  the  sixteenth  century.  In 
one  St.  Veronica  is  represented,  showing  to  the  Emperor 
Vespasian  the  handkerchief  on  which  is  miraculously  im¬ 
printed  the  image  of  Christ.  This  superb  tapestry  comes 
from  the  collection  of  Lord  Sackville,  Knole,  Kent. 
Even  finer  is  the  marvelous  tapestry  of  the  Crucifixion, 
formerly  in  the  collection  of  the  Dukes  of  Alva  in  Madrid, 

67 


Case  Q 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
and  in  the  Dollfus  collection,  Paris.  The  tapestry  was 
woven  by  Pierre  de  Pannemaker  about  1 5 1 5-20,  after  a 
cartoon  by  the  celebrated  painter  Bernard  van  Orley. 

Hanging  on  the  opposite  wall  from  these  tapestries  are 
two  important  examples  of  SCULPTURE.  One  is 
a  charming  marble  relief  of  the  Madonna  and  Child,  for¬ 
merly  in  the  Hainauer  collection.  This  sculpture  is  at¬ 
tributed  to  Antonio  Rossellino,  one  of  the  most  attractive 
of  Florentine  sculptors  of  the  second  half  of  the  fifteenth 
century.  The  second  piece  is  a  large  tondo  in  terracotta, 
of  the  Madonna  and  Child  by  the  great  Florentine  master 
Donatello.  This  relief  comes  from  the  Casa  Martelli, 
Florence.  Attributed  to  Luca  della  Robbia  is  a  gracious 
Madonna  relief  in  blue  and  white,  and  to  Baccio  Ban- 
dinelli,  a  Florentine  sculptor  of  the  High  Renaissance,  a 
charming  little  high  relief  in  marble  of  Cleopatra. 


68 


GALLERY  FIFTEEN 
NORTHERN  RENAISSANCE 
AND  BAROQUE 
PERIODS 


CjALLERY  FIFTEEN  is  devoted  to  objects  of 
DECORATIVE  ARTS  OF  THE  NORTHERN 
RENAISSANCE,  mostly  of  the  sixteenth  cen¬ 
tury,  and  to  DUTCH  and  FLEMISH  PAINT¬ 
INGS  of  the  seventeenth  century.  Van  Dyck 
is  represented  by  two  splendid  examples:  the  Marchesa 
Spinola,  of  his  Genoese  period,  and  the  Earl  of  Warwick, 
of  his  later  English  period.  Rubens’  distinguished, 
courtly  portrait  of  the  Archduke  Ferdinand  of  Spain 
contrasts  well  with  the  realistic  and  carefully  executed 
painting  by  Rembrandt,  representing  the  Amsterdam 
merchant,  Nicholas  Ruts.  The  two  Hobbemas  are  types 
of  Dutch  landscape  painting  of  the  highest  order. 

THE  COLLECTION  OF  FRENCH  PAINT¬ 
ED  ENAMELS,  one  of  the  most  complete  in  exist¬ 
ence,  gives  a  survey  of  the  whole  development  from  the 
end  of  the  fifteenth  up  to  the  seventeenth  century.  This 
art,  which  was  produced  almost  exclusively  in  Limoges, 
renowned  in  the  Middle  Ages  for  its  champleve  enamels, 

69 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
differs  widely  in  technique  from  the  enamel  of  the  earlier 
periods.  The  copper  is  covered  all  over  with  a  colored 
ground  of  opaque  enamel,  without  the  separation  by 
cloisons,  by  depressions,  or  embossings.  On  this  ground 
the  composition  is  painted  in  a  way  somewhat  similar 
to  stained  glass  or  oil  paintings.  With  the  exception  of 
parts  executed  in  translucent  enamel,  the  metal  does  not 
influence  in  any  way  the  effect  of  the  finished  object.  This 
technique  may  possibly  have  been  imported  from  Venice 
to  Lrance,  but  the  Venetians  always  kept  closely  to 
purely  decorative  patterns,  while  the  Limoges  enamelers 
rivaled  painters  in  their  pictorial  compositions  and 
occupied  themselves  with  a  much  wider  field  of  subjects. 
We  should,  however,  not  judge  the  enamels  too  much 
from  the  point  of  view  of  the  oil  painting.  The  motives 
of  Limoges  painted  enamels  were  rarely  invented  by  the 
enamelers,  but  taken  from  prints  and  woodcuts,  especially 
of  German  and  Italian  origin.  Their  artistic  value  con¬ 
sists  almost  exclusively  in  the  color  effects,  which  are  in¬ 
dependent  contributions  of  the  enamelers. 

Many  of  the  earliest  enamels  have  long  been  assigned 
to  a  certain  “Monvaerni,”  which  is  probably  not  an 
artist’s  name,  since  it  occurs  as  part  of  a  religious  in¬ 
scription  on  a  plaque  belonging  in  style  to  this  class  of 
works.  The  style  of  this  rare  group  of  late  fif¬ 
teenth-century  enamels  is  represented  in  the  col¬ 
lection  by  a  plaque  with  the  Crucifixion,  attributed, 

70 


GALLERY  FI FTEEN 

hardly  rightly,  to  Jean  Penicaud  I.  The  composition  is  Case  F 
crowded,  has  little  perspective  and  is  arranged  somewhat 
in  the  style  of  the  early  Burgundian  tapestries.  The 
colors,  white  and  yellow-brown  predominating,  are  not 
so  luminous  as  those  in  the  enamels  assuredly  by  Jean 
Penicaud  I  and  Nardon  Penicaud.  These  two  artists 
are  the  most  important  masters  in  the  first  third  of 
the  sixteenth  century.  The  artistic  personality  of 
Nardon  is  clearer  than  that  of  Jean  I.  His  motives  are 
generally  religious.  The  form  he  prefers  is  the  triptych  ; 
his  colors  are  rich,  although  never  translucent.  Dull  blue, 
reddish-brown  and  purple  are  favorite  colors  and  fre¬ 
quently  the  haloes  of  his  saints  are  made  in  raised  dots  of 
various  blues  and  greens.  From  his  hand  are  the  three 
fine  triptychs  in  Case  H,  and  a  large  composition  consist-  Case  H 
ing  of  six  plaques  partly  copied  from  engravings  (Case  F) 
by  Schongauer,  whose  work  he  frequently  used  as  a  model. 

In  brilliancy  of  color,  however,  he  is  surpassed  by  Jean 
Penicaud  I,  if  the  two  plaques,  the  Christ  on  the  Mount 
of  Olives,  Case  F,  and  the  Crowning  with  Thorns  (wrongly  Case  F 
attributed  to  Monvaerni,  Case  F)  are,  as  we  believe, 
really  by  him.  The  first  is,  perhaps,  the  most  beautiful 
of  all  enamels  in  the  collection  as  far  as  colors  are  con¬ 
cerned.  It  seems  that  Jean  Penicaud  I  was  the  first 
who  used  translucent  enamel  colors  to  any  extent  and 
who  succeeded  in  producing  shades  of  purple,  blue  and 
green  which  have  not  since  been  equaled. 


7« 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 

His  followers,  however,  continued  his  manner,  but  re¬ 
placed  his  breadth  of  style  by  a  more  minute  execution. 
Jean  Court,  Suzanne  Court  and  Jean  Limou¬ 
sin,  who  worked  about  two  generations  later,  executed 
marvellous  works  in  partly  translucent  enamels.  Espec¬ 
ially  the  salt-cellars,  the  plate,  the  ewer,  and  the  tazza,  in 
Case  A  Case  A,  by  Jean  Court,  should  be  mentioned  as  master¬ 
pieces  of  his  style.  As  far  as  the  motives  are  concerned, 
his  works  show  already  the  complete  victory  of  the 
Renaissance:  classical,  mythological  and  allegorical 
motives  have  replaced  the  religious  subjects.  In  colors, 
also,  the  flesh  tints  of  his  figures,  with  their  pale  grisaille¬ 
like  tones,  mark  the  transition  from  the  older  scheme  of 
colors  to  one  in  which  cool,  silvery  colors  predominate. 

Suzanne  Court’s  work  is  well  shown  by  two  salt-cellars 
in  Case  A.  Her  finely  executed  enamels  with  their 
glittering  effects  show  her  as  one  of  the  best  women 
artists  of  all  time. 

Chronologically,  the  famous  Leonard  Limousin 
falls  between  Jean  1  and  Nardon  Penicaud  and  the  last- 
named  artists.  His  dated  works  range  from  1535  to  1 574. 
He  did  not  follow  the  technical  example  of  Jean  Penicaud  I, 
although  occasionally  he  used  translucent  enamels,  but 
worked  with  a  few  opaque  colors,  especially  dark  blue  and 
green,  which  he  used  as  a  background  for  his  excellent 
portrait-heads.  In  this  specialty  he  rivals  painters  like 
Clouet  and  Corneille  de  Lyon  who,  very  likely,  were 

72 


GALLERY  FIFTEEN 
influenced  by  him.  The  two  small  portraits,  one  dated 
1546,  and  a  large  one  of  a  Queen,  show  his  art  at  its  best, 
while  the  portraits  of  Francois  1  and  of  Marguerite  of 
Navarre  are  of  great  historical  interest. 

The  most  prolific  artist  of  the  second  half  of  the 
SIXTEENTH  CENTURY  (about  1534-1582)  is  PlERRE 
Reymond,  whose  art  is  shown  in  all  its  versatility.  Under 
the  influence  of  the  Italian  High  Renaissance,  the  rich 
color  effects  give  place  to  plastic  conceptions  in  which 
the  figures  stand  out  in  white  and  grayish  tones  against 
a  black  background,  the  figures  being  made  more  realistic 
by  a  touch  of  red  and  the  composition  enlivened  by  gold 
ornaments.  Different  examples  of  his  work,  plaques, 
candlesticks,  vases,  large  and  small  plates,  saltcellars, 
tazza,  etc.,  are  in  the  collection  (Cases  B  and  C).  His 
work  shows  an  unevenness  of  execution,  which  leads  to 
the  supposition  of  a  large  workshop  and  numerous  imita¬ 
tors,  and  marks  the  beginning  of  the  decline  of  the  later 
Limoges  enamel  art. 

Among  his  followers  are  Martial  Reymond,  Martial 
Courteois  and  others.  To  the  same  late  period  belongs 
also  Colin  de  Nouailher,  by  whom  there  are  two  caskets 
in  Case  C,  works  of  rather  superficial  execution,  but  not 
without  charm  in  the  softness  of  the  outlines  and  the 
brightly  colored  backgrounds  of  the  classical  compositions. 

The  finest  examples  of  the  grisaille  enamels  in  the 
collection  is  the  piece  in  Case  A,  known  as  the  “  Monkey 


Cases 
B  and  C 


Case  A 


73 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
Cup,”  representing  in  three  compartments  monkeys 
stealing  the  property  of  a  traveling  merchant.  The  fine 
silver-gilt  mounts,  still  in  Gothic  style,  seem  rather  Ger¬ 
man  than  Erench,  and  the  cup  itself  seems  to  belong  to 
a  period  earlier  than  that  of  Pierre  Reymond.  Possibly 
it  was  executed  at  Limoges  on  a  German  order  about  1530 
and  mounted  in  Germany. 

The  FRENCH  CERAMICS  OF  THE  SIX¬ 
TEENTH  CENTURY  are  represented  by  several  types 
of  PAL  1  SS  Y  ware  and  of  the  much  rarer  Henri  1 1  ware. 
The  Palissy  pieces  are  not  of  the  familiar  but  less  interest¬ 
ing  type,  decorated  with  reptiles,  shells  and  insects,  start¬ 
lingly  naturalistic,  but  those  with  mythological  figures 
characteristic  of  the  French  Renaissance  and  more  suitable 
to  the  forms  of  the  plates.  The  large  plate  repre¬ 
senting  Diana,  with  the  two  sauce  boats,  and  other 
pieces  in  Case  J,  are  specimens  which  make  one  under¬ 
stand  better  why  this  ware  has  been  praised  so  highly. 
The  four  candle-holders,  especially  the  two  with  angels’ 
heads,  seem  to  support  the  theory  that  Bernard  Palissy 
was  greatly  influenced  by  the  Italian  majolica  makers, 
especially  by  the  later  Della  Robbias. 

The  Henri  II  ware  is  counted  among  the  rarest 
products  of  the  fictile  arts.  Hardly  more  than  ninety  pieces 
are  known  and  only  a  small  number  are  in  private  posses¬ 
sion.  The  seven  in  Mr.  Morgan’s  collection  are  certainly 
the  largest  number  of  such  pieces  privately  owned  Little 

74 


GALLERY  FIFTEEN 
is  known  about  the  origin  of  this  ware  other  than  it  was 
made  principally  during  the  reign  of  Henri  II,  possibly  at 
Saint  Porchaire,  although  the  documents  upon  which  this 
theory  is  based,  speak  only  of  certain  pieces  made  of  Saint 
Porchaire  clay,  which  does  not  imply  necessarily  that  the 
objects  were  made  there.  Still  less  justifiable  seems  the 
name  of  Oiron,  which  is  often  given  to  this  faience,  since 
the  documents  from  the  Chateau  d’Oiron,  which  refer  to 
this  ware,  are  only  concerned  with  majolica  pavements  of 
different  type  and  partly  still  in  place. 

The  division  into  different  periods  which  has  been  made 
is  scarcely  more  successful,  nor  does  it  seem  likely  that  the 
artist — probably  one  man  did  them  all — worked  more  than 
ten  or  fifteen  years.  The  pieces  are  shown  in  Case  J . 

The  two  tazzas,  the  one  with  cover  from  the  Le 
Breton  collection,  are  comparatively  simple  in  color,  brown 
and  black  in  arabesque  designs.  A  greater  range  of 
color  distinguishes  the  third  tazza,  which  is  decorated 
with  four  pillars  painted  with  green  and  purplish  spots; 
these  columns  are  somewhat  in  the  style  of  the  Palissy 
ware. 

Exceptionally  fine  in  shape,  aside  from  their  decoration, 
are  the  three  salt-cellars,  one  of  them  showing  Gothic 
windows,  a  very  unusual  motive  in  the  French  Renais¬ 
sance  ceramics.  The  second  is  especially  charming  in  its 
blue  and  red  decoration  and  its  niches  with  allegorical 
figures.  The  most  important  of  all,  however,  is  the  ewer 

75 


Case  J 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
with  the  dragon  handle  and  the  spout  decorated  with  a 
little  figure  of  the  Virgin  and  Child. 

The  technique  of  these  objects  is  very  simple,  the  deco¬ 
ration  being  impressed  on  the  surface  with  small  stamp¬ 
ing  irons.  But  as  Solon  says,  “A  born  artist  alone  could 
have  conceived  the  idea  of  producing  a  style  of  pottery 
so  much  in  advance  of  anything  that  was  made  at  the 
time,  without  departing  from  the  ruling  technique  of  a 
common  handicraft.” 

THE  COLLECTION  OF  JEWELRY  which  is 
Case  G  placed  in  the  Case  G  could  hardly  be  described  in  a 
few  words,  as  almost  each  object  has  a  lengthy  history 
connected  with  it,  and  artistically  is  worthy  of  prolonged 
consideration.  For  a  detailed  description  the  visitor  is 
referred  to  Mr.  Williamson’s  excellent  catalogue  of  the 
jewels,  but  a  few  of  the  most  important  pieces  may  be 
mentioned  here.  Among  these  are  the  following: 
golden  chain  of  honor,  made  about  1600  for  Christian  11 
of  Saxony;  the  badges  of  the  Order  of  the  Annunziata  and 
of  St.  Michel;  the  golden  portrait  medal  of  Archduke 
Maximilian,  German  work  of  1612;  a  rosary  of  onyx 
beads  enclosing  enamel  work,  Italian,  sixteenth  century;  a 
medallion  of  wrought  and  enameled  gold,  Florentine, 
fifteenth  century,  said  to  have  been  made  by  Ghiberti  for 
Cosimo  de’  Medici;  a  pendant  and  two  buttons  or  links 
made  by  an  Augsburg  goldsmith,  probably  for  a  member 
of  the  Fugger  family;  a  gold  portrait  medallion  of  the 

76 


GALLERY  FIFTEEN 
Emperor  Charles  V,  by  Leone  Leoni;  a  pendant  jewel  of 
ambergris  and  enameled  gold,  Italian  work  of  the  late 
sixteenth  century,  one  of  the  greatest  rarities  of  the  col¬ 
lection;  and  finally,  other  pendants,  Italian,  French, 
Spanish  and  German  of  the  sixteenth  century,  superb 
examples  of  the  goldsmith’s  craft. 

THE  COLLECTION  OF  SMALL  BOXWOOD 
CARVINGS  shown  in  Cases  D  and  K  is  one  of  ex¬ 
ceptional  interest.  Aside  from  the  Rothschild  collections 
of  these  miniature  carvings  in  the  Louvre  and  the  British 
Museum,  there  is  no  collection  of  equal  importance  to 
the  one  now  under  consideration.  For  the  most  part 
these  rare  objects  are  Flemish  or  German  in  origin 
and  date  from  the  sixteenth  century,  when  in  these  north¬ 
ern  lands  the  carvers  of  small  objects  developed  so  ex¬ 
traordinary  a  skill  of  hand  that  their  achievements  in 
many  cases  seem  almost  miraculous.  Take,  for  example, 
the  large  rosary  beads,  of  which  several  are  contained  in 
the  collection.  Within  these  beads,  used  as  terminals  to 
hang  at  the  end  of  rosaries,  are  miniature  carvings  of  in¬ 
credible,  microscopic  fineness.  In  date  they  may  be 
assigned  to  the  early  part  of  the  sixteenth  century  or  at 
least  to  the  period  between  1475  and  1530.  The  first  of 
these  “prayer-nuts”  or  “pater  nosters”  may  have  been 
made  in  England,  but  the  industry  was  undoubtedly  at 
its  greatest  in  Flanders.  With  these  rosary  beads  must 
be  mentioned  a  double  triptych  of  carved  boxwood,  form- 

77 


Cases  D 
and  K 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
ing  a  small  shrine.  This  also  is  Flemish  work  of  the  early 
sixteenth  century.  A  remarkable  diptych,  elaborately 
carved  in  boxwood,  representing  the  Nativity  and  the 
Mass  of  St.  Gregory,  is  an  unusual  example  of  Flemish 
fifteenth-century  carving.  It  was  formerly  in  the  posses¬ 
sion  of  Queen  Christina  of  Spain.  An  important  ex¬ 
ample  of  Renaissance  decorative  carving  is  a  small  casket 
of  boxwood,  carved  with  emblematic  subjects  of  a  masonic 
character,  German  work  of  the  sixteenth  century.  Of 
great  interest  is  an  elaborately  carved  boxwood  mirror 
frame,  the  design  probably  inspired  by  the  work  of  a 
Frisian  painter,  known  in  France  as  Jean  Vredeman  de 
Vriese.  The  carving  itself  is  French  of  the  sixteenth 
century. 

The  collection  includes  a  considerable  number  of 
portrait  medallions  in  boxwood  and  honestone, 
which  illustrate  the  admirable  skill  attained  by  the  Ger¬ 
man  carvers  of  the  sixteenth  century  in  this  field  of  art 
Among  the  pieces  assigned  to  known  sculptors  are  the 
following:  a  honestone  medallion  with  portrait  of  Hier¬ 
onymus  Holtzschuher  by  Peter  Floetner;  a  boxwood 
medallion  of  Barbara  Reihingin  by  Hans  Kels  von  Kauf- 
beuren,  dated  1538.  By  Hans  Daucher  is  a  beautifully 
executed  honestone  panel  representing  the  meeting  of 
Charles  V  and  Ferdinand  of  Bohemia.  Very  important 
is  a  large  honestone  relief  representing  the  Triumph  of 
Charles  V,  a  repetition  of  the  bronze  relief  by  Leone 

78 


GALLERY  FIFTEEN 
Leoni.  On  the  left  is  a  tournament,  on  the  right  the 
triumphal  entry  into  Antwerp,  and  below  these  two  parts, 
a  river  scene  with  people  struggling  in  the  water.  The 
panel  is  dated  1522  and  signed  with  the  initial  H.  An¬ 
other  interesting  honestone  plaque  represents  Venus. 
Several  German  boxwood  panels  desetve  more  than  the 
few  words  which  can  be  given  them  here;  notably  a  long, 
narrow  panel  with  a  battle  scene;  a  relief  with  Venus  and 
Vulcan  for  subject;  a  portrait  panel  of  Ludwig  Raab  of 
Ulm,  signed  A.  H.  B.;  and  other  reliefs  with  subjects  from 
daily  life  or  hold  legend.  Among  the  statuettes  and  other 
small  sculptures  in  the  round,  one  of  the  most  striking  is 
a  representation  of  Death  as  a  cavalier  astride  a  sorry  nag. 


79 


GALLERY  SIXTEEN 
THE  BAROQUE 
PERIOD 


1  HE  majority  of  the  OLD  PLATE,  mainly  of  Ger¬ 
man  origin,  in  Gallery  16,  was  collected  by  Herr  Gutmann 
of  Berlin,  and  subsequently  acquired  by  Mr.  Morgan. 

The  only  piece  of  the  Gothic  period  is  a  horn  with 
silver  mounts  dating  from  the  early  part  of  the  fifteenth 
century  (located  in  Gallery  12).  The  use  of  the  horn 
as  a  drinking  vessel  dates  back  to  the  Anglo-Saxons, 
and  has  survived  in  England  until  comparatively  late 
times.  Transference  of  the  estates  by  the  cup  or  horn, 
sword  or  helmet  of  the  owner,  without  the  formality  of  a 
written  charter,  was  adopted  by  the  Normans.  These 
horns  have  been  treasured  in  modern  times  as  reliquaries, 
and  the  three  most  noted  examples  are  located  respectively 
in  the  Church  of  St.  Serverin  at  Cologne,  the  Church  of  St. 

Servais  at  Maestricht,  and  at  Gran  Cathedral  in  Hun¬ 
gary. 

To  pass  on  from  the  Gothic  period  to  the  silversmiths’ 
work  of  the  Renaissance,  there  are  two  flagons  or 
tankards  of  the  sixteenth  century,  the  smaller  (Case  A,  Case  A 

81 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
second  shelf,  left  of  the  center),1  is  worthy  of  remark,  not 
only  from  its  richly  decorated  details,  but  also  from  the 
fact  that  this  form  found  its  way  across  to  England  and 
was  there  copied  by  Elizabethan  silversmiths.  The  other 
(Case  A,  second  shelf,  right  of  center)  is  a  fine  specimen 
of  a  type  prevailing  in  North  Germany  and  the  Baltic 
provinces. 

More  remarkable  is  the  superb  sixteenth-century 
German  tankard  (Case  A,  top  shelf,  extreme  right),  with 
a  plain  silver  body  enclosed  in  a  framework  of  fine  filigree, 
geometrical  in  general  design,  and  embellished  with  em¬ 
bossed  borders  of  amorini  and  medallions  of  Hector  and 
Paris,  a  band  with  eight  cupids'  heads  in  relief,  at  intervals, 
encircling  the  centre  of  the  body.  This  fine  filigree  work 
originated  in  Italy,  and  Benvenuto  Cellini,  in  a  well-known 
passage,  mentions  Piero  di  Nino  as  “a  goldsmith  who 
worked  in  filigree — an  art  which,  while  it  affords  great 
charm,  is  not  without  its  difficulties.” 

A  tankard,  wholly  different  in  style  and  character,  is 
the  rare  and  interesting  specimen  (Case  A,  bottom,  ex¬ 
treme  right)  which  is  probably  Hungarian  of  the  early 
part  of  the  seventeenth  century.  It  is  of  cast  sil¬ 
ver-gilt,  octagonal  in  form,  and  entirely  covered  with  con¬ 
ventional  representations  of  tears  and  small  oval  medal¬ 
lions  in  slight  relief.  Catherine  de  Medici  is  known  to 

1  The  cases  are  lettered  starting  from  the  doorway  leading  from  Gal¬ 
lery  15  and  keeping  to  the  right. 


82 


DIANA  AND  STAG 

GERMAN,  AUGSBURG,  XVI  CENTURY 
GALLERY  1 6,  CASE  A 


COVERED  CUP 

GERMAN,  NUREMBERG,  XVI  CENTURY 
GALLERY  l6,  CASE  A 


GALLERY  SIXTEEN 
have  adopted  tears  as  a  badge,  on  the  death  of  her  husband, 
Henry  II  in  1559. 

Later  in  the  seventeenth  century  the  tankard  became 
larger  in  circumference  and  shorter,  and  of  this  type  there 
are  two  excellent  and  massive  examples, in  this  collection. 
In  Case  G  (second  shelf,  centre),  is  one  of  large  size  with 
the  body  divided  into  eight  panels  engraved  with  various 
subjects:  figures,  warriors,  etc.,  and  with  smaller  Van 
Dyke  panels  on  the  body  and  cover,  embossed  with 
cherubs,  fruit,  and  different  kinds  of  animals.  The  other 
tankard  (Case  H,  second  shelf,  left)  is  decorated  on  the 
body  with  a  scene  representing  a  victory  of  Alexander  the 
Great,  while  in  the  cover  is  a  medallion  with  a  mounted 
figure  of  Alexander.  This  is  of  the  early  eighteenth  cen¬ 
tury  and  was  wrought  at  Danzig  by  one  Haidt. 

The  partiality  of  the  Renaissance  artificer  for  mounting 
shells,  nuts,  and  eggs  into  all  sorts  of  vessels  for  drinking 
and  decorative  purposes  is  familiar  to  students  of  the  gold¬ 
smith’s  art.  The  exquisite  pearly  iridescence  and  the 
beauty  of  the  lines  of  the  nautilus  appealed  strongly  to 
the  craftsman’s  aesthetic  taste.  This  collection  contains 
seven  shells  mounted  in  different  forms.  The  earliest 
(Case  A,  second  shelf,  extreme  right),  which  is  a  conch 
mounted  in  the  sixteenth  century,  is  secured  by  gilt  straps, 
and  embossed  with  masks,  fleur-de-lis,  etc.,  the  straps 
studded  with  Roman  denarii.  The  turbinated  nautilus- 
shell  cup  (Case  A,  second  shelf,  extreme  left),  with  a  stem 

83 


Case  G 


Case  H 


Case  A 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
formed  of  a  figure  of  Hercules  and  with  dolphins  and 
sea  monsters  applied  to  the  foot,  is  the  work  of  Casper 
Bendell  of  Breslau,  1578-1596. 

A  N  AUTI  LUS  SH  ELL  mounted  in  an  unusual  and 
Case  D  ingenious  manner  is  shown  in  Case  D  (top  shelf,  extreme 
left).  The  whorl  has  been  cut  into  wavy  bands,  revealing 
the  yellow  epidermis  alternate  with  the  under  nacreous 
layer.  It  is  mounted  with  the  aperture  of  the  shell  turned 
downwards  and  represents  a  large  snail  ridden  by  a  well- 
modeled  figure  of  a  Nubian,  enameled  in  black,  with  dark 
red  and  green  loin  cloth,  and  carrying  a  bow  with  a  quiver 
of  arrows  on  his  back.  It  was  made  by  Jeremiah  Ritter 
of  Nuremberg,  early  in  the  seventeenth  century. 

Case  G,  The  nautilus  shell  shown  in  Case  G  (top  shelf,  left  center) 
is  remarkable  for  its  exquisitely  engraved  emblematic 
scenes  of  Peace  and  War;  the  side  shown  has  a  pastoral 
scene,  with  numerous  women  and  children;  the  other, 
horsemen  engaged  in  combat  with  firearms.  An  heraldic 
helmet  with  a  barred  vizor  closed,  is  delicately  carved 
and  pierced  from  the  whorl  of  the  shell,  and  above  is 
added  an  engraved  helmet  and  shield,  while  two  female 
heads,  carved  from  a  conch  shell,  are  applied  to  the  um¬ 
bilicus.  It  is  signed  by  a  German  artist,  C.  Bellekin, 
who  flourished  in  the  seventeenth  century.  The  dolphin 
stem,  the  foot  and  the  mounts  are  the  work  of  a  Breslau 
craftsman  early  in  the  eighteenth  century.  There  are 
only  four  other  examples  of  Bellekin’s  engraved  work  on 

84 


GALLERY  SIXTEEN 
nautilus  shell  in  existence,  two  in  the  Kunstgewerbe 
Museum  at  Berlin  and  two  in  the  “Green  Vaults”  at 
Dresden. 

The  fourth  nautilus  cup  in  this  collection  is  that  in 
Case  G  (top  shelf,  center).  It  has  a  cover  with  a  large 
“whale”  in  the  act  of  casting  out  Jonah,  and  the  shell  is 
supported  by  a  seated  figure  of  Neptune  on  a  high  pedestal 
repousse  with  marine  subjects  and  embellished  with 
applied  frogs,  lizards,  etc. — possibly  Transylvanian  work 
of  the  seventeenth  century. 

The  next  Case  (E,  second  shelf,  left  center)  has  a  shell 
which  is  surmounted  with  a  figure  of  a  whale  ridden  by 
Neptune  and  vomiting  Jonah;  this  is  supported  by  a 
graceful  vase-shaped  stem  with  scrolled  dragon  brackets 
set  on  a  circular  foot  repousse  with  sea  monsters  and  with 
frogs  applied.  Seventeenth-century  German  work. 

The  seventh  and  last  is  the  turbinated  shell  mounted 
as  a  cup  (Case  F,  second  shelf,  left  center),  which  has  a 
domed  cover  decorated  with  strap  work,  etc.,  and  sur¬ 
mounted  by  a  seated  boy.  The  stem,  which  is  a  tree-trunk 
clasped  by  a  boy,  rests  on  a  six-lobed  base.  This  is  of 
Austrian  origin,  about  1700. 

The  main  decorative  features  of  the  supports,  mounts, 
and  embellishments  of  the  nautilus  shell  are,  appropriately 
enough,  marine  subjects,  such  as  dolphins,  figures  of 
Neptune,  sea  monsters,  and  frequently  a  whale  or  dolphin 
vomiting  Jonah.  Nuremberg  goldsmiths  are  credited 

85 


Case  E 


Case  F 


Case  E 


Case  F 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
with  the  production  of  the  finest  specimens,  and  Nicolas 
Schmidt,  sometime  Master  of  that  famous  guild,  was 
one  of  the  most  talented  artificers  in  this  branch  of  the 
work  in  precious  metals,  one  of  his  finest  examples  being 
the  sixteenth-century  nautilus  cup  supported  by  a  figure 
of  Neptune  astride  a  seahorse,  on  a  base  with  sirens 
playing  stringed  instruments,  in  the  royal  collection  at 
Windsor  Castle;  other  specimens  of  his  work  are  to  be 
seen  in  the  “Green  Vaults”  at  Dresden. 

Flemish  goldsmiths  also  manifested  a  liking  for 
the  nautilus  cup;  and  two  examples  mounted  by  them, 
one  bearing  the  year  mark  of  Antwerp  for  1581,  and  the 
other,  dating  about  1 590,  are  included  in  the  superb 
collection  of  plate  bequeathed  by  Baron  Ferdinand 
Rothschild  to  the  British  Museum. 

Cocoanuts  have  also  been  frequently  mounted  as 
cups  in  elaborate  fittings  by  German  silversmiths,  and  a 
fine  specimen  in  this  collection  is  shown  in  Case  E  (second 
shelf,  center).  The  nut  is  carved  with  foliage,  grotesque 
masks  and  birds,  and  with  three  devices  with  names 
above;  the  rich  mounts  were  executed  in  Augsburg  in 
the  seventeenth  century. 

The  egg  of  the  ostrich  was  also  used 
to  form  cups  and  other  drinking  vessels  in  Germany. 
The  egg  in  the  cup  in  Case  F  (second  shelf,  center)  is 
secured  by  three  enameled  and  floreated  straps,  and 
decorated  with  other  bands  and  panels  of  painted  enamels, 

86 


GALLERY  SIXTEEN 
festoons  of  fruit,  grotesque  masks,  etc.,  while  the  stem 
takes  the  form  of  an  ostrich.  This  is  German  work  of 
the  seventeenth  century. 

An  example  of  the  employment  of  an  ostrich  egg  in 
another  kind  of  table-ornament,  will  be  found  in  Case  C 
(bottom,  extreme  right),  where  the  egg  forms  the  body  of 
its  namesake  bird.  The  fine  silver-gilt  mounts  were 
wrought  by  Johannes  Clauss  of  Nuremberg  during  the 
second  quarter  of  the  seventeenth  century.  The  base  is 
embellished  with  red  crawfish,  a  lizard,  frogs,  tortoise,  and 
applied  scrolls  terminating  in  minute  female  figures. 
The  use  of  figures  of  small  animals  and  reptiles,  often  in 
natural  colors,  was  in  high  favor  with  the  goldsmiths  of 
the  German  Renaissance. 

Though  drinking  vessels  of  Fantastic  and  Gro¬ 
tesque  Forms  are  found  at  all  periods,  their  use 
was  never  more  frequent  than  in  Germany  during  the 
sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries.  The  banqueting 
rooms  of  the  merchant  princes  of  such  important  centers 
of  international  commerce  as  Augsburg  and  Nuremberg 
in  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries  contained  a 
brave  display  of  these  curious  vessels,  as  well  as  the 
ordinary  kinds  of  standing  cups,  at  their  festive  gatherings. 

The  numerous  Trade  Guilds  and  Companies  of  cross¬ 
bowmen  and  arquebusiers  were  also  well  furnished  with 
fine  plate,  many  of  their  cups  being  topical;  for  instance, 
the  cup  and  cover,  dated  1668,  in  Case  D  (bottom,  extreme 

87 


Case  C 


Case  D 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 


Case  D 


Case  A 


Case  K 


Cases 
A,  B,  C 


left)  was  doubtless  the  prize  cup  of  a  Miners’  Guild. 
A  large  silver-gilt  Bull  of  the  seventeenth  century,  in  the 
Bavarian  Industrial  Museum  at  Nuremberg,  represents 
a  cup  of  the  Butchers’  Guild  at  Reutlingen. 

Some  of  these  quaint  and  interesting  drinking  vessels 
were  fitted  with  clockwork  contrivances  for 
moving  along  highly  polished  tables.  They  were  wound 
up  and  despatched,  and  the  guest  opposite  whom  the 
vessel  stopped  was  compelled  to  consume  the  entire 
contents  on  pain  of  a  forfeit.  The  fine  group  of  Diana 
and  the  Stag  (Case  A,  top  shelf,  center),  wrought  by  an 
unknown  Augsburg  master  towards  the  close  of  the  six¬ 
teenth  century,  contains  in  the  irregular  octagonal  base 
such  a  contrivance.  An  example  of  the  same  group  by 
another  German  goldsmith  is  the  one  in  the  Kunstge- 
werbe  Museum,  Berlin,  by  Matheus  Wallbaum,  artificer 
of  the  exquisite  ebony  and  silver  triptych  (center  Case  K, 
top  shelf)  made  in  Augsburg  in  the  late  sixteenth  century. 

Many  kinds  of  animals,  including  horses  in  various 
attitudes,  stags  and  unicorns,  lions  in  different  positions, 
birds  and  dogs,  have  served  as  models  for  cups  for  the 
German  goldsmith.  The  lion  would  appear  to  have  been 
the  most  popular  animal,  the  bear  ranking  next;  while  the 
favorite  bird  was  the  owl.  This  collection  contains  many 
examples: — the  stag  (Case  A,  second  shelf,  center)  and 
the  lion  rampant;  (Case  B,  top  shelf,  right  center),  both 
of  the  sixteenth  century;  the  two  stags  (Case  G,  second 

88 


GALLERY  SIXTEEN 
shelf,  extreme  left  and  extreme  right);  a  lion  holding  a 
shell-shaped  bowl  (Case  C,  top  shelf,  extreme  right); 
the  massive  lion  seated  upon  mathematical  instruments, 
cannon,  etc.,  with  a  view  of  a  Swiss  city,  below,  wrought 
at  Rappersweil  in  Switzerland  (Case  C,  top,  extreme 
left);  the  goat  (Case  E,  top  shelf,  extreme  left)  and 
horse  (Case  B,  top  shelf,  left  center);  the  ram  (Case  B,  top 
shelf,  extreme  left)  and  partridge  (Case  B,  top  shelf, 
extreme  right),  all  of  the  seventeenth  century.  To  these 
must  be  added  the  dancing  bear,  date  1737,  made  in  Augs¬ 
burg  (Case  G,  top  shelf,  right  center),  and  the  peacock 
(Case  G,  top  shelf,  extreme  right). 

Other  quaint  drinking  vessels  in  this  collection  are  the 
Wager  Cups  in  human  form.  One,  which  was  made  at 
Augsburg  in  the  sixteenth  century,  represents  a  lady  in  ruff, 
with  a  skirt  embossed  with  scrolls,  fruit,  birds,  and  other 
devices,  her  raised  arms  holding  a  small  plain  cup  (Case 
A,  top  shelf,  extreme  left).  The  term  “Wager  Cup”  has 
been  applied  to  this  type  of  vessel  because  the  lower  part, 
the  skirt,  was  supposed  to  be  emptied  of  its  contents  at 
one  effort,  without  spilling  the  wine  in  the  small  cup,  which 
revolves  on  a  swivel,  and  which  likewise  was  emptied  at  a 
draught.  Another  of  these  cups,  different  in  decorative 
features,  by  a  Nuremberg  silversmith  of  about  1550,  is 
shown  in  Case  E,  second  shelf,  extreme  left;  a  third,  of 
another  type,  without  the  small  revolving  cup,  late 
sixteenth  century,  is  in  the  same  case  on  the  extreme  right 

89 


Cases 
A,  E,  F 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
end  of  the  shelf.  A  fourth,  a  figure  in  Hungarian  cos¬ 
tume,  wrought  by  Master  Jorg  Rutel,  of  Nuremberg, 
about  1595,  is  in  Case  L,  top  shelf,  extreme  left;  and 
another  type  of  Wager  Cup,  shaped  like  a  windmill,  of 
Dutch  workmanship,  dating  from  the  seventeenth  century, 
is  also  to  be  seen  in  Case  L,  top  shelf,  extreme  right. 

One  of  the  succeeding  developments  in  the  taste  for 
showy  pieces  of  plate  in  the  form  of  animals  was  that  which 
prevailed  from  about  the  middle  until  the  end  of  the 
seventeenth  century  for  large  equestrian  figures, 
like  the  statuette  of  a  cavalier  in  the  costume  of  Louis  XIV 
Case  H  on  a  prancing  horse  (Case  H,  top  shelf,  center). 

This  collection  contains  one  example  of  what  might 
be  termed  ecclesiastical  art  in  the  fine  ebony 
triptych,  with  silver-gilt  enrichments,  by  the  famous 
silversmith  of  Augsburg,  Matheus  Wallbaum  (center, 
Case  L).  In  its  architectural  features  it  follows  the 
well-known  traditions  of  Northern  Europe,  treated, 
however,  in  the  characteristic  manner  of  the  Renaissance. 
The  center  panel  is  painted  with  the  Adoration  of  the 
Magi;  the  right  with  the  Presentation  in  the  Temple; 
and  the  left  with  the  Circumcision.  The  small  rect¬ 
angular  panel  below  contains  a  painting  of  the  Llight  into 
Egypt.  These  painted  panels  were  done  by  one  Anton 
Mozart — a  follower  of  J.  Breughel  and  D.  Vinchebooms — 
whose  initials  and  date,  “A.  M.,  1598,”  are  signed  in  the 
central  panel. 


90 


CHINA  OF  MING  PERIOD 
GERMAN  MOUNTS 
XVI  CENTURY 
GALLERY  1 6,  CASE  B 


CAVALIER  ON  HORSEBACK 
GERMAN,  AUGSBURG,  XVII  CENTURY 
GALLERY  1 6,  CASE  H 


CUP 

ATTRIBUTED  TO  CELLINI 
ITALIAN,  XVI  CENTURY 
GALLERY  1 6,  CASE  K 


SALTCELLAR 
ADAM  VAN  VIANEN 
FLEMISH,  XVII  CENTURY 
GALLERY  1 6,  CASE  K 


BEAKER 

ATTRIBUTED  TO  CELLINI 
ITALIAN,  XVI  CENTURY 
GALLERY  1 6,  CASE  K 


GALLERY  SIXTEEN 

Rose  water-dishes  and  ewers,  originating  in 
Italy  during  the  Renaissance  and  passing  thence  to  other 
countries,  Latin  and  Teutonic,  the  ewers  noted  for  the 
elegance  of  their  form,  have  survived  in  goodly  numbers. 
An  important  example  of  a  large  dish  of  Spanish  origin  is 
included  in  this  collection.  It  is  of  silver-gilt,  repousse, 
with  a  bold  scroll  design  and  oval  bosses;  applied  to  it  are 
elliptical  and  rectangular  panels  of  exquisite  enamel. 
In  the  raised  center  is  an  enameled  shield  with  the  arm 
of  Castille,  France,  and  Leon.  This  fine  dish,  which  has 
unfortunately  been  separated  from  the  companion  ewer, 
dates  from  the  early  part  of  the  seventeenth  century 
(Case  C,  top  shelf,  center). 

The  beautiful  dishes  wrought  by  the  German  artificers 
of  the  sixteenth  century  are  succeeded  in  the  following 
century  by  dishes  or  plateaus  of  much  larger  di¬ 
mensions  and  greater  massiveness,  with  bold  designs,  in 
coarser  workmanship.  An  example  of  these  larger  dishes 
is  shown  in  Case  D,  top  shelf,  center,  dating  from  the 
second  quarter  of  the  seventeenth  century.  The  centre 
is  embossed  with  a  campaigning  scene, — knights  and 
Moorish  horsemen,  and  a  chariot  with  a  dead  king;  the 
wide  border  is  embossed  with  cuttlefish. 

Larger  and  still  more  massive  are  the  two  immense 
dishes  (one  in  Case  C,  bottom  center,  the  other  in  corre¬ 
sponding  position  in  Case  D),  with  groups  of  nymphs  and 
warriors,  accompanied  by  amorini  embossed  in  bold 

91 


Case  C 


Case  D 


Cases 

C,  D 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
relief  in  the  center,  and  tulips  and  other  flowers  on  the 
rims,  which  were  wrought  by  H.  Lambrecht,  of  Hamburg, 
late  in  the  seventeenth  century. 

Several  causes  combined  in  Germany  to  foster  the  pro¬ 
duction  of  cups  in  very  great  numbers  and  in  almost 
endless  varieties  of  form.  Foremost  was  the  commercial 
activity  of  such  cities  as  Augsburg  and  Nuremberg,  fol¬ 
lowed  closely  by  the  rivalry  between  these  two  famous 
centers  of  the  art  of  the  goldsmith  and  of  the  ironworker 
and  other  crafts.  Other  potent  factors  were  the  jovial, 
beer-drinking  customs  of  the  people  themselves,  and  the 
spirit  of  good-fellowship  existing  among  the  numerous 
trade  guilds,  in  whose  possession  were  many  fine  loving- 
cups  and  cups  of  welcome,  decorated  with  suitable  symbols, 
the  gifts  of  members  and  others.  The  frequent  inter¬ 
change  of  gifts,  usually  in  the  form  of  plate,  between  mon- 
archs,  ambassadors  and  other  prominent  personages, 
tended  to  encourage  an  art  where  Orders  would  be  be¬ 
stowed  in  our  time.  Included  in  this  collection  are  a  few 
choice  standing  cups  and  covers.  The  earliest 
Case  J  are  the  two  silver-gilt  double-cups  (Case  J,  bottom, 
extreme  right  and  extreme  left)  of  the  last  quarter  of  the 
sixteenth  century.  These  double-cups  fit  over  each  other 
at  the  lip,  and  were  thus  fixed  together  and  placed  in  the 
buffet  or  sideboard  as  ornaments  when  not  in  actual  use. 
The  German  silversmiths  of  this  period  and  during  the 
seventeenth  century  frequently  inserted  a  silver  medallion 

92 


GALLERY  SIXTEEN 
of  some  important  person,  or,  occasionally,  one  of  the 
numerous  religious  medals  common  in  the  second  half  of 
the  sixteenth  century  in  Germany,  in  tankards,  cups,  and 
other  vessels;  and  these  two  double-cups  have  in  the  one 
on  the  right,  a  medallion  of  Sigismund  Richter,  1 562,  and  in 
the  other  on  the  left,  one  of  Hieronymus  Loter,  1 544,  who  • 
was  “sous  diacre’’  (sub-deacon)  at  Augsburg. 

Another  variety  of  double-cup,  very  different  in  its 
decoration,  is  afforded  in  this  collection  by  the  one  shown 
in  Case  A,  bottom,  right  center,  which  also  dates  from  the  Case  A 
end  of  the  sixteenth  century.  The  bowl  is  embossed  with 
cherubs’  heads  and  strap-work  enclosing  fruit,  the  upper 
part  being  supported  by  three  applied  cupids  on  dolphins, 
while  the  lip  is  engraved  with  arabesque  work.  The 
stem  is  decorated  in  relief  with  female  terminal  figures, 
amorini  standing  on  scalloped  shells,  and  double  fleurs- 
de-lis;  and  the  foot  is  embossed  with  cupids,  strap-work, 
and  fruit. 

Under  the  head  of  tall  cups  with  covers,  five  specimens 
are  here  included.  The  earliest,  an  important  example 
wrought  at  Nuremberg  about  1550,  by  a  master  craftsman, 

Jacob  Frohlich,  is  to  be  seen  in  Case  A,  bottom,  left  center. 

It  is  very  richly  repousse  with  small  figures,  plain  bosses, 
and  human  masks.  The  graceful  vase-shape  stem  is  em¬ 
bossed  with  helmeted  masks  with  the  terminal  satyr 
brackets  above.  A  stag  hunt  is  embossed  on  the  cover, 
which  is  surmounted  by  a  seal-like  knob  decorated  with 

93 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
female  terminals  in  niches,  projecting  animals’  heads, 
and  other  embellishments. 

Case  A  The  second  variety  of  covered  cup  is  shown  in  Case  A, 
bottom,  center.  Here  the  bowl  resembles  a  beaker,  widely 
curved  at  the  lip,  which  is  delicately  engraved  with  a 
hare-hunt.  The  cover  is  surmounted  by  a  figure  of  an 
armed  warrior,  believed  to  represent  St.  Theodorus. 
Eberwein  Kossmann,  of  Nuremberg,  was  the  artificer  of 
this  fine  cup,  about  1575. 

Another  cup  with  a  beaker-shaped  bowl,  of  later  date 
Case  D  (seventeenth  century),  is  to  be  found  in  Case  D,  bottom,  ex¬ 
treme  right.  On  the  bowl  are  three  strap-work  panels  en¬ 
closing  a  lion  hunt  in  relief,  divided  by  winged  female 
terminals,  the  other  decorative  features  of  the  bowl  being 
the  arabesques,  garlands,  fruit,  foliage,  and  strap-work. 
The  cover  is  surmounted  by  a  Roman  warrior  holding  a 
Case  B  plain  shield.  A  fourth  cup  is  shown  in  Case  B,  second 
shelf,  left  center,  dating  from  the  seventeenth  century. 

A  cup  and  cover  of  extreme  rarity  and  utmost  value  is  in 
Case  A  Case  A,  bottom,  extreme  left.  This  superb  cup,  of  acorn 
shape,  executed  in  niello  with  geometric  and  arabesque 
designs,  was  the  work  of  an  unknown  Augsburg  maker 
of  the  sixteenth  century. 

Case  D  A  curious  type  of  cup  is  placed  in  Case  D,  extreme 
right;  the  body  is  not  unlike  a  turbinated  shell,  and  each 
of  the  lobes  is  embossed  with  the  head  of  a  monstrous 
cuttlefish  in  low  relief,  supported  by  a  stem  in  the  form 

94 


GALLERY  SIXTEEN 
of  a  dwarf  fisher-boy;  the  base  is  embossed  with  dolphins. 
It  is  of  the  late  seventeenth  century,  of  Augsburg  make. 

A  remarkable  specimen  of  drinking  vessel  is  located  in 
Case  H,  second  shelf,  center;  it  is  a  representation  of  one 
of  the  well-known  carved  tuns,  seen  in  Germany,  the 
enormous  tun  of  Heidelberg.  The  barrel  is  of  silver,  dec¬ 
orated  with  applied  vine  and  supported  by  four  rampant 
lions,  while  in  front  is  an  applied  shield  of  arms,  enameled. 
A  figure  of  Bacchus,  forming  a  stopper,  sits  astride  the 
barrel,  holding  a  plain  silver  goblet,  which  is  removable 
for  use  as  a  funnel.  This  curious  piece  of  plate  was 
wrought  at  Breslau  early  in  the  eighteenth  century  about 
1710. 

Quite  personal  in  its  use  is  the  small  cup,  known  as 
Haufebecher  in  Germany,  of  which  eight  specimens 
are  included  here.  This  type  of  little  cup  prevailed  dur¬ 
ing  the  sixteenth  century,  but  it  seems  to  have  lost  its 
popularity  about  1610.  Sets  of  six  or  twelve,  as  well  as 
single  cups,  were  apparently  made  and  fitted  into  each 
other  as  far  as  the  moulding  encircling  the  stem.  They 
probably  accompanied  the  owner  on  his  travels,  his  hunt¬ 
ing  expeditions,  and  perhaps  on  the  battle-field.  Numer¬ 
ous  subjects,  scriptural  and  allegorical-,  feasting  and 
hunting,  were  introduced  as  decoration,  engraved  and 
embossed.  This  type  of  small  cup,  found  in  Cases  E 
and  F,  was  confined  entirely  to  Germany,  and  never 
penetrated  into  the  other  countries. 


Case  H 


Cases  E,  F 


95 


Cases  F,  H 


Case  B 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
The  silver  ornaments  and  drinking  vessels 
in  the  form  of  ships,  so  frequent  in  German  plate, 
are  doubtless  a  development  from  the  incense-holder, 
fashioned  like  a  boat  or  ship,  in  common  use  in  the  mediae¬ 
val  Church,  of  which  in  England  an  example  exists  in  the 
silver  boat  of  the  fourteenth  century  now  in  the  possession 
of  the  Earl  of  Carysfort;  and  in  the  Treasure  of  St.  An¬ 
tonio  at  Padua,  Italy,  in  the  fine  silver  ship  with  female 
prow,  of  the  fifteenth  century.  To  these  incense-boats 
succeeded  secular  vessels  like  ships,  described  in  inven¬ 
tories  as  Nefs. 

Three  examples  of  different  varieties  of  ships  are  in¬ 
cluded  in  this  collection:  the  first  made  in  Nuremberg 
early  in  the  seventeenth  century  (Case  H,  top  shelf,  ex¬ 
treme  right);  the  second  in  Augsburg  at  about  the  same 
date  (Case  F,  top  shelf,  left  center):  and  the  third  rather 
more  than  a  century  later  by  Solomon  Dreyer  of  Augs¬ 
burg  (Case  H,  top  shelf,  extreme  left).  The  sail  is  en¬ 
graved  with  the  legend  “Georg  Christoph  Neymer — 
Schiiffmeister  Von  Regensspurg — P.  B.  N.  1744.“ 

The  only  example  of  the  beaker  form  of  cup  shown 
here  is  the  fine  massive  piece,  of  the  early  part  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  in  Case  B,  second  shelf,  left  center. 
It  is  of  more  than  ordinary  interest  from  the  fact  that 
the  manner  of  decoration  is  somewhat  rare.  It  is  sur¬ 
rounded  by  figures  of  the  Twelve  Fathers  of  Israel — the 
twelve  sons  of  Jacob — in  relief,  with  their  names  inscribed 

96 


GALLERY  SIXTEEN 
below  in  Hebrew.  The  signs  of  the  Zodiac,  which  are 
often  associated  with  the  names  of  the  sons  of  Jacob,  are 
chased  on  the  cover.  This  interesting  cup  was  probably 
executed  for  a  wealthy  Jewish  family  as  a  Kiddush,  or 
sacred  cup,  used  at  home  for  the  blessing  and  prayer 
recited  at  the  commencement  of  Sabbaths  and  festivals. 

It  had  long  been  the  fashion  to  attribute  all  the  finest 
cups  and  numerous  other  works  of  art,  of  crystal 
and  agate  and  other  stones,  to  the  artificers  of 
the  Italian  Renaissance,  as  was  much  of  the  plate,  such 
as  tazze,  and  cups,  ewers,  and  basins  of  the  sixteenth  cen¬ 
tury  found  in  Italy,  France,  and  England;  and  many  of 
these  notable  pieces  were  fondly  associated  with  the  great 
Cellini  himself.  It  is  now,  however,  recognized  by  con¬ 
noisseurs  that  the  talented  craftsmen  of  Germany,  im¬ 
bued  with  Italian  models,  were  responsible  for  the  vast 
proportion  of  the  most  beautiful  specimens  of  this  side  of 
art;  and  many  of  the  royal  and  public  museums  in  Ger¬ 
many  and  in  Vienna,  and  the  Waddesdon  Room  at  the 
British  Museum  contain  a  large  number  of  exquisite  ex¬ 
amples.  Repeated  allusions  have  already  been  made  to 
the  numerous  vessels  of  all  kinds,  in  glass,  crystal,  agate 
and  other  stones,  mounted  in  gold  and  enamel,  in  the 
Treasury  of  Charles  I  of  England. 

The  Morgan  Collection  contains  a  tall  crystal  goblet 
(Case  B,  second  shelf,  extreme  right),  probably  Transyl-  Cases  B,  K 
vanian  work  of  the  late  sixteenth  century;  a 

97 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
silver-gilt  cup  with  agate  bowl  (center,  Case  K,  top 
shelf),  supported  by  a  triton  in  an  oval  foot,  which  is 
decorated  with  marine  subjects  in  repousse;  and  a  cup 
with  crystal  bowl  (center,  Case  K,  bottom),  slightly 
curved  and  engraved  with  acanthus  leaves,  birds,  and  in¬ 
sects,  mounted  in  silver-gilt,  with  a  dolphin  stem  on  an 
enamel  foot — both  German  work  of  the  seventeenth 

CENTURY. 

In  the  seventeenth  century,  a  goodly  number  of  tank 
ards  of  CARVED  IVORY  were  mounted  as  a  result 
of  increased  importation  of  ivory  into  Europe  at  a  lower 
cost.  Many  of  these  are  of  considerable  size.  This  col¬ 
lection  contains  four  specimens  of  carved  ivory  tankards 
and  two  cups,  all  mounted  in  silver.  The  largest,  in 
Case  1  Case  I,  second  shelf,  left  center,  is  elliptical  in  form  and 
is  boldly  carved  with  amorini  at  play,  an  infant  Bacchus 
in  ivory  surmounting  the  cover.  The  silver-gilt  mounts 
are  embossed  with  tulip  and  acanthus  designs,  while  the 
handle  is  in  the  form  of  a  female  term.  This  tankard  was 
mounted  by  Johann  Heinrich  Mannlich,  of  Augsburg,  at 
the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century. 

A  tankard  of  different  variety  is  shown  in  Case  I, 
bottom,  extreme  left.  Here  the  body  is  carved  with  a 
representation  of  Esther  before  Ahasuerus,  who  is  seated 
on  a  throne  embellished  with  lions  sejant,  the  steps  having 
lions  couchant  at  the  sides,  surrounded  by  numerous  fig¬ 
ures,  camels,  etc.  It  was  mounted  at  Danzig  in  the 
seventeenth  century. 


98 


GALLERY  SIXTEEN 
A  third  variety  in  the  subject  of  the  carving  is  fur¬ 
nished  by  the  tankard  to  be  found  in  the  same  case, 
bottom,  extreme  right,  which  is  covered  with  boys  play¬ 
ing  instruments,  drinking,  etc.,  mounted  about  1720,  by 
Philip  Stenglen,  of  Augsburg.  The  tankard,  in  the  same 
case,  second  shelf,  right  center,  is  a  fourth  variety,  some¬ 
what  earlier  in  date  than  the  last;  and  this  is  carved  in 
high  relief  with  female  figures  in  various  attitudes. 

One  of  the  two  ivory  cups  (same  case,  second  shelf, 
center)  is  carved  with  four  Bacchanalian  figures,  richly 
mounted  in  silver-gilt,  by  Albrecht  Biller,  of  Augsburg,  at 
the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century.  The  other  cup 
(same  case,  second  shelf,  extreme  left)  is  carved  with  a 
boar-hunt,  the  silver-gilt  mounts  being  new. 

In  no  instance,  unfortunately,  can  the  name  of  the 
artist  who  carved  these  tankards  and  cups  be  identified. 

The  famous  GOLDS  MITHS’GUILDS  of  Augs¬ 
burg  and  Nuremberg  are  represented  in  this  collection  by 
twenty-one  and  thirteen  specimens  of  plate  respectively. 
German  silversmiths,  whose  place  of  abode  cannot  be  de¬ 
termined,  have  produced  twenty-one  pieces.  Among  the 
lesser  German  guilds  whose  artificers  find  a  place  here  are 
Breslau,  represented  by  the  Bellekin  Nautilus,  the  six¬ 
teenth-century  Turbinated  Shell  Cup,  and  the  immense 
cup  in  the  form  of  a  great  tun;  Danzig,  by  the  tankard 
with  the  victory  of  Alexander  the  Great,  and  by  a 
carved  ivory  tankard;  Freiburg,  in  Saxony,  by  the 

99 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
parcel-gilt  cup  of  the  Miners’  Guild,  wrought  by  Andreas 
Muller;  and  Hamburg,  by  the  two  massive  gilt  dishes. 
The  collection  includes  a  specimen  of  Austrian  silver¬ 
smiths’  work  in  the  turbinated  shell  cup:  and  of  Hun¬ 
garian,  in  a  tankard;  that  part  of  Hungary  known  as 
Transylvania  is  perhaps  represented  by  the  crystal  goblet 
and  a  fine  Nautilus  cup.  Switzerland  provides  the  largest 
seated  lion  from  the  town  of  Rappersweil;  Holland,  the 
prancing  horse  made  at  Amsterdam,  and  the  wind-mill 
cup;  and  Spain,  the  fine  large  dish  with  beautiful  enamels. 

The  five  Flemish  TA P EST R  1  ES  were  made  some¬ 
time  after  1 520,  in  Brussels;  the  scenes  are  from  the  story 
of  Noah.  These  tapestries,  as  the  majority  of  the  Mor¬ 
gan  tapestries,  came  from  Knole,  in  the  County  of  Kent, 
England. 

The  two  PA  I  NT  I  NGS  on  the  south  wall,  as  well  as 
the  one  on  the  west  wall,  came  from  Mr.  Morgan’s  Lon¬ 
don  house.  The  one  on  the  right  as  you  enter  from 
Gallery  15  is  the  portrait  of  Anne  of  Austria,  painted  by 
Peter  Paul  Rubens  (1577-1640).  Anne,  the  daughter  of 
Philip  111  of  Spain,  was  born  in  1601.  She  married 
Louis  XI II  of  France  in  1615.  At  her  husband’s  death 
in  1643,  she  was  proclaimed  Regent  during  the  minority 
of  her  son,  Louis  XIV.  The  picture  belonged  to  the  Dukes 
of  Marlborough  at  Blenheim,  and  is  of  the  painter’s 
early  period. 

The  painting  on  the  left  as  you  enter  from  Gallery  15 


100 


G'ALLERY  SIXTEEN 
is  the  portrait  of  Infanta  Maria  Theresa,  by  Velasquez 
(1599-1660).  Maria  Theresa  was  the  daughter  of  Philip 
IV  and  Isabel  de  Bourbon.  She  was  born  in  1638,  mar¬ 
ried  to  Louis  XIV  in  1660,  and  died  in  1683.  It  was 
while  attending  Philip  at  the  conference  at  I  run  in  1660, 
which  led  to  the  marriage  that  Velasquez  was  taken  with 
the  illness  from  the  effects  of  which  he  died  shortly  after. 

The  portrait  was  painted  during  the  last  decade  of  his 
life,  early  in  the  fifties,  judging  from  the  apparent  age 
of  the  sitter,  which  seems  scarcely  ten  years. 

The  portrait  on  the  west  wall  is  that  of  a  child,  by  an 
unknown  artist  of  the  Spanish  school.  There  is  a  date 
in  the  floor,  164-,  and  consequently  it  has  been  assigned 
to  the  seventeenth  century. 

On  the  north  wall  hangs  the  portrait  of  the  late  J. 

Pierpont  Morgan,  by  Carlos  Baca-Flor,  a  contemporary 
-  South  American  artist  who  studied  in  Paris.  This  por¬ 
trait  of  Mr.  Morgan  was  painted  during  the  winter  of  the 
year  1910. 

The  bronze  Triton  and  Nereid  is  the  work  of  Adrian 
De  Vries,  the  leading  Flemish  bronze  maker  of  the  seven¬ 
teenth  century.  He  was  a  pupil  of  Giovanni  da  Bologna, 
and  though  more  pictorial  than  the  Italian,  still  exhibits 
a  great  deal  of  Italian  feeling  in  this  group. 

Case  L  contains  a  rather  interesting  display  of  clocks, 
for  the  most  part  French,  of  the  eighteenth  century, 

Case  K  contains  some  rare  and  precious  work  in  gold,  Case  K,  L 


10! 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
enamel,  crystal,  and  agate.  A  backgammon  board,  be¬ 
lieved  to  have  belonged  to  Mary,  Queen  of  Scots,  when 
Queen  of  Francis  II  of  France,  is  also  in  Case  K. 

Case  B  The  porcelain  in  Case  B  is  very  rare,  Chinese  of  the 
Ming  period  set  in  sixteenth-century  European  mounts. 


102 


GALLERY  SEVENTEEN 


GALLERY  SEVENTEEN 
THE  EIGHTEENTH  CENTURY 


GALLERY  SEVENTEEN 
THE  EIGHTEENTH 
CENTURY 


ITH  a  few  exceptions  all  the  objects  in  the  Morgan 
Collection  not  already  discussed  are  of  European  origin 
and  were  made  during  the  eighteenth  century.  The 
exceptions  are  the  older  miniatures  and  watches  in  the  two 
special  collections  elsewhere  described,  the  Gothic  and 
seventeenth-century  tapestries  hanging  in  the  corridors, 
and  a  few  specimens  of  Chinese  porcelain  contemporary 
with  the  French  furniture  in  Galleries  17  and  18,  and  of  a 
type  much  appreciated  in  Europe  at  the  time  of  its  man¬ 
ufacture.  Although  in  this  portion  of  the  exhibition  it 
has  not  been  possible  to  follow  a  precise  chronological 
arrangement,  the  objects  of  earlier  eighteenth-century 
workmanship  are  largely  confined  to  Gallery  17.  This 
room  has  been  paneled  in  green,  in  a  manner  suggesting 
one  of  the  lofty  halls  found  in  English  houses  of  about 
1730,  and  the  BRITISH  PAINTINGS  of  slightly 
later  date  which  fill  the  walls  thus  hang  against  a  back¬ 
ground  reminiscent  of  that  for  which  some  of  the  pictures 
were  doubtless  originally  intended.  Beginning  at  the 

103 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
right  of  the  door  which  opens  into  this  room  from  Gallery 
1 6,  and  proceeding  toward  the  left,  the  paintings  hang  in 
the  following  order: 

1  The  Depositing  of  Giovanni  Bellini’s  Three  Pictures 
in  the  Church  of  the  Redentore,  Venice,  by  Turner.  The 
subject  is  presumably  imaginative,  as  no  such  occurrence 
is  mentioned  by  Vasari.  The  three  pictures  portrayed 
are  still  in  the  Sacristy  of  the  Chiesa  del  Redentore  at 
Venice,  but  their  attribution  to  Bellini  has  been  severally 
questioned.  Turner  exhibited  this  painting  in  the  Royal 
Academy  in  1841 . 

The  Duchess  of  Devonshire,  by  Gainsborough.  The 
subject  of  the  picture  is  Georgiana,  the  wife  of  William, 
fifth  Duke  of  Devonshire,  and  the  eldest  child  of  John, 
first  Earl  Spencer.  She  was  born  in  1757  and  died  in 
1806.  The  picture  was  painted  about  1787.  Its  early 
history  is  uncertain.  After  having  been  supposedly  lost, 
it  was  discovered  by  a  picture  dealer  in  1841.  Originally 
a  full-length,  it  had  been  cut  down  by  its  owner  to  fit  a 
space  over  a  mantelpiece.  The  story  of  the  theft  of  the 
picture  and  its  recovery  is  too  well  known  to  repeat. 

Miss  Farren  (Countess  of  Derby),  by  Lawrence.  Eliza¬ 
beth  Farren,  a  popular  actress,  was  born  about  1759. 
She  retired  from  the  stage  in  1797,  when  she  married  Ed¬ 
ward,  twelfth  Earl  of  Derby.  Lawrence  made  the  por¬ 
trait  in  1790,  when  he  was  twenty-one  years  old,  and 

1  Reprinted  from  the  Bulletin  for  January,  1913. 


104 


GALLERY  SEVENTEEN 
received  ioo  guineas  for  it.  The  picture  was  exhibited 
in  the  Royal  Academy  in  the  same  year,  No.  171,  as  Por¬ 
trait  of  an  Actress.  It  was  the  artist’s  first  success,  and 
remains  one  of  his  most  famous  works.  A  stipple  en¬ 
graving  of  the  picture  sold  in  May,  1911,  for  500  pounds. 

The  Godsal  Children,  called  The  Setting  Sun,  by 
Hoppner.  The  subjects  were  the  three  children  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Godsal  of  Iscoyd  Park,  near  Whitechurch, 
Flintshire.  The  work  was  exhibited  at  the  Royal  Acad¬ 
emy  in  1789  as  Portraits  of  a  Young  Lady  and  Two 
Children.  A  first  state  of  a  mezzotint  engraved  by 
Young  in  1790  sold  at  Christie’s  in  1901  for  220  guineas, 
probably  three  times  what  Hoppner  received  for  the 
original  painting. 

Mrs.  Scott  Jackson  (Lady  Broughton),  by  Romney. 
The  sitter  was  Mary  Keating,  who  married  Thomas  Scott 
•  Jackson.  Three  years  after  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
1791,  she  became  the  wife  of  Rev.  Sir  Thomas  Broughton, 
Bart.  Romney’s  diary  mentions  sittings  for  this  pic¬ 
ture  in  1784,  and  at  the  end  of  his  ledger  is  this  entry: 
“Lady  Broughton,  W.  L.  [whole  length]  cleaned  and  var¬ 
nished  and  sent  to  Oulton  Park.”  Lady  Broughton’s 
daughter  by  her  first  marriage  and  sole  heiress,  Maria, 
was  married  to  Sir  J.  G.  Egerton  of  Oulton  Park,  and  from 
her  descendants  the  picture  was  acquired. 

Mrs.  Tennant,  by  Gainsborough.  Mary,  the  daugh¬ 
ter  of  Rev.  John  Wylde,  was  the  wife  of  William  Tennant. 

105 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
She  died  in  1798.  Her  portrait  was  painted  by  Gains¬ 
borough  about  1786.  Mr.  Morgan  purchased  the  picture 
from  Major  C.  R.  Tennant,  a  descendant  of  the  sitter. 

Lady  Betty  Delme  and  Her  Children,  by  Reynolds. 
Lady  Delme  before  her  marriage  was  Lady  Elizabeth 
Howard,  daughter  of  Henry,  fourth  Earl  of  Carlisle.  She 
was  born  in  1747  and  married  Peter  Delme  in  1769.  The 
children  are  John  and  Emelius  Henry,  born  in  1772  and 
1774.  The  work  was  painted  in  1777  and  remained  at 
Cams  near  Fareham,  until  sold  in  1894  at  Christie’s,  by 
order  of  Henry  Delme. 

Lady  Gideon,  by  Gainsborough.  She  was  Mary  Mor¬ 
row,  who  was  born  in  1743  and  married  Sir  Sampson 
Gideon  in  1766,  about  which  time  this  picture  was  painted. 

Miss  Ross  (Mrs.  Bell),  by  Raeburn.  The  sitter  was 
Isabella  Ross,  who  afterwards  married  George  Bell,  M.D. 
The  portrait  was  painted  in  1801  or  1802. 

A  Scene  on  the  River  Stour,  by  Constable.  The  pic¬ 
ture  is  dated  1819  and  was  exhibited  at  the  Royal  Academy 
Exhibition  of  that  year.  A  small  finished  study  for  it  is 
the  property  of  the  Boston  Museum. 

Lady  Maitland,  by  Raeburn.  Lady  Maitland  was 
Catharine  Connor.  She  was  married  in  1804  to  Rear- 
Admiral  Sir  Frederick  Lewis  Maitland,  who  was  captain 
of  the  Dellerophon  when  Napoleon  surrendered  on  board 
that  ship  in  1815.  The  picture  was  painted  about  1817. 

Other  paintings  of  this  period  are  hung  in  the  Miniature 

106 


SECRETAIRE  OF  MARIE  ANTOINETTE 
FRENCH,  XVIII  CENTURY 


TALL  CLOCK,  BY  BERTHOUD 
FRENCH,  XV11I  CENTURY 


GALLERY  SEVENTEEN 
Room  and  in  Gallery  18,  and  are  described  in  order  of 
their  arrangement. 

Aside  from  the  pictures,  all  the  other  objects  exhibited  in 
Gallery  17  are  French  and  display  the  perfection  of  finish 
attained  by  workmen  of  that  nationality  in  the  eighteenth 
century,  a  perfection  sought  for  in  all  phases  of  the  life 
of  the  time  and  often  achieved  with  brilliant  success. 

The  FURNITURE  in  the  Morgan  Collection  is  par¬ 
ticularly  noteworthy  because  of  the  significant  part  played 
by  the  cabinet-makers  in  the  history  of  the  period,  and 
the  remarkable  technical  skill  exhibited  in  these  master¬ 
pieces  of  joinery.  The  individual  productions  of  the  great 
workmen  of  the  time  were  rightly  looked  upon  as  works 
of  creative  art  of  a  high  order,  and  the  makers  enjoyed 
the  patronage  and  protection  of  the  King  and  the  nobility, 
who  vied  with  one  another  in  acquiring  examples  of  con¬ 
temporary  cabinet-making.  The  ebenistes  as  the  cab¬ 
inet-makers  were  called,  worked  in  conjunction  with  the 
metal  chasers,  orciSELEURS,  who  made  mounts  in  or¬ 
molu,  that  is,  chiseled  and  gilded  bronze,  with  which  the 
inlaid  furniture  was  further  decorated.  The  ebenistes 
and  to  a  less  extent  the  ciseleurs  signed  their  works  as 
a  painter  signs  a  picture,  and  many  of  the  pieces  in  the 
Morgan  Collection  bear  the  names  of  celebrated  artisans 
of  the  time,  including  Riesener,  Boudin,  Dupre,  Carlin, 
Burb,  Joseph,  Montigny,  and  Pasquier.  The  most  nota¬ 
ble,  although  the  latest,  examples  of  furniture  in  this  room 

107 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
and  in  the  collection  are  the  marqueterie  secre¬ 
taire  and  the  commode,  placed  in  the  center  of  the 
north  and  south  walls  respectively.  These  two  pieces,  to¬ 
gether  with  a  writing-table  now  in  the  possession  of  Baron 
Rothschild  in  England,  formed  a  set  once  the  property  of 
the  Duke  of  Hamilton,  but  originally  constructed  for  the 
private  apartments  of  Marie  Antoinette  at  St.  Cloud. 
They  were  made  in  1791  by  the  most  famous  artist  in 
wood  of  his  day,  J.  H.  Riesener,  who  signed  and  dated 
both  secretaire  and  commode.  The  beautiful  mounts  in 
ormolu,  with  which  the  pieces  are  further  decorated,  have 
long  been  attributed  to  Gouthiere,  but  may  possibly  be 
the  work  of  Thomire,  who  share  between  them  the  honor 
of  being  the  best-known  ciseleurs  of  the  late  eighteenth 
century.  These  two  pieces  are  among  the  finest  and 
most  celebrated  specimens  of  French  furniture  ever  pro¬ 
duced  and  excel  in  quality  any  pieces  of  Louis  Seize  work 
remaining  in  France.  The  tall  clock  on  the  south¬ 
east  wall  deserve  attention  as  being  a  remarkable  piece 
of  mechanism  in  a  fine  and  characteristic  case.  The  works 
are  by  Ferdinand  Berthoud  (1727-1807),  a  famous  in¬ 
ventor  and  maker  of  clocks  and  astronomical  instruments, 
and  the  author  of  various  works  on  horology.  The  case 
is  ornamented  with  bronzes  executed,  after  designs  of  the 
sculptor  Clodion,  by  Philippe  Caffieri,  of  a  distinguished 
family  of  metal  workers.  Around  the  wall  is  a  set  of 
two  sofas  and  twelve  chairs  in  the  style  of  Louis 

108 


MARQUETRY  COMMODE 
FRENCH,  XVII]  CENTURY 


SECRETAIRE,  ONE  OF  A  PAIR,  ORNAMENTED  WITH  SEVRES  PLAQUES 
FRENCH,  XVIII  CENTURY 


GALLERY  SEVENTEEN 
XV,  which  came  from  the  collection  of  the  Kings  of  Den¬ 
mark,  to  whom  they  are  said  to  have  been  presented  by 
the  French  monarch.  This  furniture  is  upholstered  in 
characteristic  tapestries  made  at  the  royal  manufactory 
of  Beauvais  in  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century,  the 
set  being  an  admirable  example  of  the  decorative  furniture 
coverings  which  formed  an  important  part  of  the  product 
of  that  factory.  The  carpet  in  the  center  of  the  room 
was  made  at  the  Savonnerie,  another  state-subsidized 
institution  which  produced  velvet-piled  carpets  largely 
for  the  court.  Also  in  the  center  are  three  Chinese 
vases  set  in  French  mounts  of  ormolu,  standing  on  a 
table  which  dates  from  the  earlier  years  of  the  eighteenth 
century. 

Placed  on  tables  and  commodes  in  this  gallery  and  the 
next  are  distinguished  examples  of  the  graceful  and  care¬ 
fully  finished  SCULPTURE  produced  by  the  French 
artists  during  the  eighteenth  century.  In  Gallery  17  the 
most  noteworthy  are  the  two  small  painted  plaster 
busts  standing  on  the  secretaire  of  Marie  Antoinette,  al¬ 
ready  described.  These  are  byj  ean-Antoine  Houdon 
(1741-1828),  and  represent  the  sculptor’s  two  children. 
One  bust  bears  the  seal  placed  there  by  its  author  when 
he  exhibited  the  work  in  the  Academy  during  his  life¬ 
time.  The  bronze  Diana  standing  near  by  is  also 
attributed  to  him.  Houdon,  one  of  the  greatest  portrait- 
sculptors  of  any  period,  was  called  by  Congress  to  the 

109 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
United  States  to  execute  the  statue  of  General  Washington, 
now  in  the  State  Capitol  of  Virginia.  Replicas  of  this 
work  are  familiar,  as  are  those  of  the  bust  of  Benjamin 
Lranklin,  which  the  sculptor  carried  out  in  Paris  during 
the  philosopher's  embassy  to  Prance. 


1 10 


GALLERY  EIGHTEEN 
THE  EIGHTEENTH 
CENTURY 


1  RE  walls  of  Gallery  18  are  hung  with  TAPEST¬ 
RIES  from  the  two  great  looms  of  the  eighteenth  cen¬ 
tury.  Those  with  a  deep  rose-colored  background  on  the 
north  and  west  walls  were  made  at  the  Royal  Manu¬ 
factory  of  the  Gobelins,  at  the  end  of  the  reign 
of  Louis  XV.  This  institution,  established  by  Colbert  early 
in  the  preceding  reign,  as  a  manufactory  of  furniture,  hang¬ 
ings,  and  decoration  for  the  royal  palaces,  has  always  held  a 
pre-eminent  place  in  the  field  of  the  Decorative  Arts  of 
the  Rococo  period,  and  is  still  maintained  by  the  French 
government  on  practically  its  ancient  foundation.  Tech¬ 
nically  Gobelin  tapestries  are  considered  unique,  and  at  no 
period  was  greater  skill  of  execution  shown  in  the  factory 
than  when  these  five  hangings  were  made,  although  the 
attempt  to  imitate  in  weaving  a  finished  painting  can 
scarcely  be  considered  a  logical  form  of  decoration.  These 
five  tapestries  are  from  the  famous  series  illustrating  the 
History  of  Don  Quixote,  designed  originally  in  1714 
by  Charles  Coypel,  the  painter,  and  frequently  re- 

1 1 1 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
peated  with  many  variations  throughout  the  next  seventy 
years.  The  five  pieces  in  the  Morgan  Collection  represent 
the  combined  work  of  Belin  de  Fontenay  and  Audran  the 
Younger  in  the  fifth  and  most  successful  phase  of  the 
design.  The  rose-colored  ground  was  a  new  discovery 
never  before  used  at  the  Gobelins  factory  and  was  con¬ 
sidered  a  noteworthy  achievement.  One  of  these  five 
tapestries,  that  showing  Don  Quixote  led  by  Folly,  belongs 
to  a  set  made  in  the  atelier  of  Nielson,  the  head  of  the 
Gobelins  factory,  in  1783.  It  remained  in  the  factory 
until  1810,  when  it  was  presented  as  an  official  gift  to  the 
Prince  of  Hesse  Darmstadt.  The  other  four  Don  Quixote 
tapestries  were  made  in  two  other  Gobelins  ateliers,  those 
of  Cozette  and  Audran.  These  pieces  were  completed  in 
1 773,  and  were  the  next  year  presented  by  the  new  king, 
Louis  XVI,  to  the  aged  Cardinal  de  la  Roche-Aymon, 
Archbishop  of  Rheims  and  Grand  Almoner  of  France 
who  had  confirmed,  married,  and  crowned  the  young 
monarch.  These  five  hangings  were  brought  together 
some  time  in  the  nineteenth  century  and  passed  into  the 
possession  of  the  King  of  Spain,  from  whose  collection  they 
came  into  Mr.  Morgan’s  hands.  The  two  tapestries  on 
the  south  wall  of  this  gallery,  together  with  the  third 
hanging  in  the  Miniature  Room  form,  a  unique  set  woven 
at  the  Beauvais  manufactory  in  1733.  This  estab¬ 
lishment  was  scarcely  less  famous  than  that  of  the  Gobelins, 
although  the  former  specialized  in  works  intended  for  use 


1 12 


GOBELINS  TAPESTRY,  ONE  OF  A  SERIES  REPRESENTING  SCENES  FROM 
DON  QUIXOTE 
FRENCH,  XVIII  CENTURY 


BEAUVAIS  TAPESTRY,  DESIGNED  BY  OUDRY 
FRENCH,  XVIII  CENTURY 


PAINTED  FOLDING  SCREEN,  IN  THE  STYLE  OF  LANCRET 
FRENCH,  XVIII  CENTURY 


CLOCK  WITH  ORMOLU  MOUNTS,  SEVRES 
FRENCH,  XVIII  CENTURY 


GALLERY  EIGHTEEN 
as  well  as  decoration,  such  as  the  chair  coverings,  and  fire 
screens  already  noted.  The  subjects  illustrated  in  this 
set  of  hangings  are  scenes  from  Moliere’s  comedies  and 
the  cartoons  for  the  series  were  drawn  by  J  .  B.  Oudry  in 
1732.  His  signature  can  be  seen  on  each  tapestry. 
Although  other  sets  of  the  Moliere  subjects  were  made  at 
Beauvais,  the  borders  and  coloring  used  in  these  three 
specimens  were  never  repeated,  so  far  as  is  known.  This 
is  the  more  difficult  to  understand  when  one  considers 
the  charm  of  design  and  color,  which  makes  these  hangings 
almost  perfect  examples  of  the  highest  type  of  tapestry 
of  the  Rococo  period. 

The  screen  standing  in  the  center  of  the  north  wall 
deserves  special  notice  among  the  furniture  in  this  room, 
having  been  painted  by  Lancret,  and  illustrating  a  most 
accomplished  phase  of  French  design.  The  ormolu 
mounts  of  the  large  gray  marble  console  table 
placed  against  the  east  wall  are  attributed  to 
Gouthiere,  as  are  the  two  candelabra  in  lapis  lazuli 
and  gilded  bronze  standing  on  commodes  at  the  west  end 
of  the  room.  On  the  south  wall  is  a  secretaire 
curiously  ornamented  with  miniatures  behind  glass. 
This  piece,  like  Marie  Antoinette’s  secretaire  and  com¬ 
mode,  came  from  the  collection  of  the  Duke  of  Hamilton, 
at  Hamilton  Palace,  and  has  always  been  said  to  have  been 
made  for  Mme.  de  Pompadour.  The  various  small 
pieces  of  furniture  in  this  room,  inset  with  decorative 

113 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
plaques  of  Sevres  porcelain,  illustrate  one  of  the  most 
accomplished  but  least  happy  phases  of  French  cabinet¬ 
making.  Among  the  sculptures,  the  life-size  bust  of 
Mme.  Roland  in  the  center  of  the  west  wall  is  the 
work  of  Augustin  Pajou  (1730-1809),  one  of  the 
deftest  sculptors  of  an  age  rich  in  great  technicians. 
Standing  on  furniture  against  the  east  wall  are  two 
small  groups,  the  one  in  marble  being  by  Falconet 
in  a  monumental  moment,  the  other,  in  terracotta,  a 
beautiful  work  of  Claude  Michel,  called  Clodion 
(1738-1814),  examples  of  whose  skill  are  perhaps  more 
sought  after  than  those  of  any  other  French  sculptor.  In 
this  group  of  Cupid  and  Psyche,  the  visitor  should  note 
the  remarkably  lifelike  quality  of  the  terracotta  and  the 
extraordinary  reality  of  the  bodily  surfaces,  together  with 
the  lightness  of  touch  and  the  engaging  fancy  of  con¬ 
ception.  Four  smaller  sculptures  by  the  same  artist, 
no  less  fine  in  quality,  are  exhibited  in  other  parts  of  the 
room.  In  the  center  of  the  floor  are  five  cases 
containing  small  objects  of  especial  value,  the  magnificent 
toys  in  which  this  most  sophisticated  of  periods  delighted. 

Case  C  A  gold  clock  in  the  form  of  a  vase  (Case  C),  enameled  with 
medallions  after  Boucher  and  set  with  many  jewels,  was 
made  by  Coteau  for  Marie  Antoinette.  A  miniature  gold 
cabinet  with  eight  drawers  and  surmounted  by  a  tiny  clock, 
although  without  a  history,  is  no  less  exquisite  as  a  piece 
of  workmanship.  The  small  silver-mounted  porcelain 

114 


TERRACOTTA  GROUP,  CUPID  AND  PSYCHE,  BY  CLODION 
FRENCH,  XVIII  CENTURY 


SOFA  COVERED  WITH  BEAUVAIS  TAPESTRY,  STYLE  OF  LOUIS  XVI 
FRENCH,  XVIII  CENTURY 


ORMOLU  TABLE,  LAPIS  LAZULI  TOP 
FRENCH,  XVIII  CENTURY 


GALLERY  EIGHTEEN 
cup  of  the  variety  usually  called  Lowestoft,  but  really 
made  in  China  for  the  European  market,  is  reputed  to 
have  been  used  by  Prince  Charles  Edward,  “the  Young 
Chevalier”,  when  he  passed  a  night  at  Kingsburgh  on  the 
Isle  of  Skye  in  1746.  A  plain  Ertglish  ring  standing  near 
the  cup,  with  a  model  of  a  sailing  boat,  is  engraved,  “  Lady 
Hamilton  to  Horatio  Nelson,  1795,”  an  inscription  which 
makes  any  further  explanation  unnecessary. 

The  two  Cases  A  and  B  contain  1 58  S  NUFF- BOXES 
of  French,  English,  German,  and  Russian  workmanship 
made  at  various  times  throughout  the  eighteenth  century. 
Many  of  these  boxes  are  superbly  jeweled  and  are  further 
ornamented  with  miniatures  of  high  merit  by  Cosway, 
Isabey,  and  others,  vying  in  splendor  of  material  and 
workmanship  with  the  carnets  de  bal  at  the  other  end  of  the 
room.  Personages  famous  in  history  were  the  original 
owners  of  many  of  the  pieces;  among  them,  Napoleon  I, 
Catharine  II,  Maria  Theresa,  George  IV,  Marechal 
Lefebvre,  and  the  King  of  Sardinia.  One  crystal  box 
is  lined  with  Marie  Antoinette’s  hair  and  was  a  gift  from 
the  queen  to  the  Comte  d’Artois.  Many  of  these  elegant 
bijoux  are  signed  by  jewelers  famous  in  their  time. 

In  another  case  (D)  in  the  center  of  the  room  is  the 
Morgan  collection  of  carnets  de  bal,  the  extravagantly 
splendid  DANCE  PROGRAMMES  in  vogue  just 
before  the  French  Revolution.  These  tiny  objects, 
which  contain  always  a  little  ivory  tablet,  a  pencil,  and 

115 


Cases  A,  B 


Case  D 


Case  E 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
sometimes  other  minute  implements,  are  among  the  most 
exquisite  vanities  of  the  time,  their  manufacture  having 
involved  an  extraordinary  skill,  together  with  the  use  of 
the  most  expensive  materials  This  collection  of  these 
dance  programmes  is  unique. 

In  Case  E  is  an  important  assemblage  of  the  small 
ENAMELS  ON  COPPER  made  after  1750  at  York 
House,  Battersea.  The  pieces  include  snuff-boxes,  patch- 
boxes,  etuis,  and  jeweled  caskets  made  chiefly  in  imitation 
of  Continental  models,  but  possessing  in  their  bright  and 
varied  colors,  in  their  bold  and  sometimes  irresponsible 
brush  work,  a  characteristic  English  quality. 

The  marbles  in  the  two  gilded  cases  standing  on  the 
commode  at  either  end  of  the  north  wall  are  the  work 
of  Etienne-Maurice  Falconet  (1716-1791), 
who  is  noted  for  the  exquisite  suavity  of  his  small 
sculptures  which  he  intended  largely  as  mantel  orna¬ 
ments.  Nine  of  these  graceful  marbles  of  Falconet’s 
are  placed  throughout  this  portion  of  the  exhibition. 


1 16 


GALLERY  NINETEEN 


GALLERY  NINETEEN 
THE  FRAGONARD  ROOM 


GALLERY  NINETEEN 
THE  FRAGONARD 
ROOM 


INfoWHERE  is  Fragonard  seen  to  better  advantage,” 
writes  Lady  Dilke  of  this  remarkable  series  of  decorations 
which  she  saw  when  they  were  in  the  house  of  M.  Mal- 
vilain  at  Grasse  in  Provence,  the  home  of  the  painter 
during  his  last  years.  The  panels  had  been  hung  against 
the  walls  of  the  Salon  with  no  effort  towards  decorative 
unity.  When  they  passed  into  the  possession  of  Mr. 
Morgan,  he  caused  a  room  to  be  designed  in  which  the 
paintings  could  be  given  a  proper  setting.  The  room  was 
set  up  in  Mr.  Morgan’s  house  in  London.  When  the 
paintings  were  sent  to  America,  the  woodwork  and  plaster 
cornice  of  this  room  were  placed  at  the  Museum’s  dis¬ 
posal,  so  that  it  has  been  possible  practically  to  reproduce 
the  effect  which  the  pictures  had  in  Prince’s  Gate. 

The  Romance  of  Love  and  Youth  is  the  title  which  has 
been  given  the  entire  set,  though  without  the  authority  of 
Fragonard,  who,  as  far  as  is  known,  never  named  them. 
The  pictures  were  begun  about  1772  for  the  Pavilion  of 
Louveciennes  (Luciennes),  which  Louis  XV  was  building 

117 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
for  Mme.  Du  Barry  from  designs  by  Ledoux.  For  some 
unknown  reason  they  were  never  put  in  place,  but  re¬ 
mained  on  the  artist’s  hands.  According  to  gossip  Mme. 
Du  Barry  declined  to  receive  them,  being  displeased  with 
the  subject  of  the  picture,  in  which  the  heroine  is  shown 
mourning  her  abandonment  by  a  faithless  lover.  She 
could  not  reasonably  be  expected  to  care  to  have  such  a 
possibility  continually  before  her  eyes  or  those  of  her 
visitors.  The  subject  was,  at  least,  undiplomatic.  But 
whatever  the  cause,  the  pictures  were  in  Fragonard’s 
studio  in  Paris  for  almost  twenty  years.  During  the  Ter¬ 
ror  in  1793  he  had  them  removed  to  Grasse,  his  native 
town,  and  placed  them  in  the  house  of  M.  Maubert,  with 
whom  he  lived.  Here  they  remained  practically  unknown 
until  1898,  when  they  were  sold  at  auction  by  M.  Mal- 
vilain,  the  grandson  of  M.  Maubert.  Messrs.  Agnew 
were  their  purchasers,  and  in  the  autumn  of  the  same 
year  they  were  exhibited  in  London,  when  Mr.  Morgan 
bought  them. 

The  pictures  are  as  follows: 

1  The  Pursuit  (La  Poursuite).  The  heroine  with  out¬ 
stretched  arms  runs  away  from  her  admirer,  who  offers  her 
a  rose.  Her  companions  try  to  hold  her. 

2  The  Meeting  (Le  Rendez-vous).  The  heroine  sits  on  the 
grass  by  a  statue.  Her  lover  climbs  the  wall  by  means  of  a 
ladder.  She  looks  over  her  shoulder  as  though  fearing  that 
she  might  be  seen.  Fragonard  has  given  the  pair  the  fea¬ 
tures  of  Mme.  Du  Barry  and  her  Royal  gallant,  though  much 
rejuvenated  in  both  cases. 

1 18 


GALLERY  NINETEEN 


3  Memories  (Les  Souvenirs).  The  heroine  sits  on  a  stone 
pedestal  in  a  park,  looking  over  old  letters.  Her  lover 
stands  by  her,  his  arm  around  her  waist. 

4  The  Lover  Crowned  (L’Amant  Couronne).  The  couple 
pose  for  a  painter.  The  lover  sits  at  his  mistress’s  feet,  and 
she  holds  over  his  head  a  crown  of  flowers.  Portalis  says 
(. Fragonard ,  1889).  ‘‘This  canvas  is  pictorically  the  splendid 
climax  of  all  that  has  gone  before.  It  shows  the  official 
triumph  of  love  following  upon  the  more  intimate,  the  truer 
triumph  that  has  preceded  it.  The  colours  in  the  paintings 
which  open  the  series  have,  for  all  their  exquisiteness,  been 
tempered  by  a  certain  moderation.  Here  they  burst  forth 
in  full  splendour,  in  full  passion,  making  together  a  bold  and 
ringing  harmony  breathing  forth  a  very  paean  of  victory.” 

5  The  Abandonment  (L’Abandon).  This,  the  final  scene  of 
the  series,  takes  place  in  a  garden  in  autumn.  The  heroine  is 
seated  alone  at  the  foot  of  a  column  surmounted  by  a  sun¬ 
dial  fashioned  as  a  Cupid  sitting  on  the  world. 

6  Love  the  Victor  (L’Amour  Vainquer).  (This  is  the  first 
of  the  minor  designs,  meant  as  subsidiary  to  the  general 
theme  of  the  main  ones.) 

Cupid  holding  two  torches  flies  above  the  clouds.  In  front 
two  winged  babies  are  kissing,  and  back  of  him  are  two 
others,  one  playing  a  cymbal,  the  other  holding  wreaths. 
A  fifth  in  shadow,  symbolizing  Discord,  holds  a  dagger  in  one 
hand  and  a  bridle  in  the  other. 

7  Love  the  Jester  (L’Amour  Folie).  Cupid  flying  holds  a 
jester’s  bauble. 

8  Love  Chasing  a  Dove  (L’Amour  Poursuivant  une  Co- 
lombe). 

9  Love  as  a  Sentinel  (L’Amour  en  Sentinelle).  Cupid 
stands  beside  a  rose  bush,  holding  an  arrow;  his  quiver  is 
on  the  ground  before  him. 


119 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 


io  Love  the  Assassin  (L’Amour  Assassin).  Cupid  grasps  a 
dove  which  he  is  stabbing  with  a  dagger. 

In  addition  to  these  ten  panels  are  four  others,  of 
flowers  with  suggestions  of  landscape  for  backgrounds, 
which  complete  the  unity  of  the  scheme  of  decoration. 


120 


GALLERY  TWENTY 


STATUETTES,  MADAME  DE  POMPADOUR,  AND  LOUIS  XV,  BISCUIT  DE  SEVRES 
FRENCH,  XVIII  CENTURY 


BOWL  AND  EWER,  MENNECY-VI LLEROY 
FRENCH,  XVIII  CENTURY 


GARNITURE  OF  THREE  FLOWER  VASES,  SEVRES 
FRENCH,  XVIII  CENTURY 


GALLERY  TWENTY 
FRENCH 
PORCELAINS 


.AfTER  leaving  the  Fragonard  Room,  the  visitor 
enters  the  long  corridor,  Gallery  20,  all  the  cases  in  which 
are  devoted  to  FRENCH  PORCELAINS,  with  the 
exception  of  the  two  wall  cases  (A  and  B)  on  either  side 
of  the  door  through  which  the  visitor  has  just  passed. 
These  cases  contain  several  small  French  bronzes, 
and  a  number  of  finer  specimens  of  ormolu,  some  of 
which  are  the  work  of  Gouthiere.  The  tapestry  over 
the  door  is  Flemish,  late  sixteenth  century,  and  the  large 
figure  pieces  on  the  wall  are  of  similar  provenance  but 
fifty  or  sixty  years  later.  All  of  these  tapestries,  together 
with  those  in  the  opposite  corridor,  came  from  Knole,  an 
historic  English  house,  belonging  to  Lord  Sackville,  in 
Kent. 

The  other  cases  in  this  corridor  are  arranged  to  show 
the  complete  development  of  the  art  of  porcelain  manu¬ 
facture  in  France.  The  making  of  porcelain  in  Northern 
Europe  was  brought  about  largely  by  the  desire  to  pro¬ 
duce  a  ware  rivaling  in  quality  the  Chinese  products  of 


121 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries,  which  were 
imported  in  vast  quantities  after  sea  trade  with  the  Far 
East  became  an  established  fact.  The  faience,  which 
until  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century  had  occupied 
the  attention  of  the  French  potters,  was  too  heavy  in 
body  and  dull  in  glaze  to  prove  a  satisfactory  substitute 
for  the  splendid  productions  of  the  Chinese  kilns,  and  the 
ingenuity  of  the  European  potters  was  long  exercised  in 
discovering  the  secret  of  the  brilliant  and  flinty  paste  of 
the  Oriental  ware.  This  quality  was  produced  by  the  use 
of  a  clay  known  as  Kaolin,  which  was  not  thought  to  exist 
naturally  in  Europe,  and  which  the  potters  tried  to  repro¬ 
duce  synthetically.  At  first  they  succeeded  only  in  making 
a  much  softer  body  than  that  of  the  Oriental  ware,  the 
former  being  called  soft  paste  in  distinction  to  the  hard 
paste  of  the  latter,  but  early  in  the  eighteenth  century 
beds  of  Kaolin  were  discovered  in  German}',  and  the  man¬ 
ufacture  was  begun  there  of  hard  paste  Meissen  porcelain. 
The  French  potters,  however,  clung  for  a  long  period  to 
their  creamy  soft  paste,  although  they  later  attained 
great  distinction  in  the  making  of  true  porcelain.  In 
France  porcelain  manufacture  was  first  attempted  at 
Rouen,  then  at  St.  Cloud,  and  a  little  later  at  Mennecy, 
Chantilly,  and  one  or  two  other  places,  all  the  productions 
being,  of  course,  soft  paste.  The  earliest  specimens  of 
French  porcelain  in  the  Morgan  Collection  are  the  pieces 
made  at  St.  Cloud  at  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  and 


122 


GALLERY  TWENTY 
the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century,  which  are  ex¬ 
hibited  on  the  top  shelf  in  Case  C.  The  rest  of  this  case 
is  devoted  to  Ch  an ti  lly,  which  was  manufactured  after 
1725  and  imitates  closely  Chinese  models.  Cases  D  and 
E  contain  other  specimens  of  soft  paste  porcelain  manu¬ 
factured  at  M enn ecy-Vi lleroy  between  1734  and 
1773,  at  Bourge-la-Reine  between  1773  and  1806, 
and  at  Crepy-en-Valois  between  1762  and  1770. 
There  are  in  existence  only  a  few  specimens  from  these 
last  two  localities,  their  output  being  exceedingly  small, 
The  factories  already  noted,  however,  are  chiefly  remem¬ 
bered  as  pioneers,  and  the  real  manufacture  of  French 
porcelain  began  only  with  the  establishment  in  1738  of 
the  Royal  Manufactory  at  Vincennes,  which  produced 
far  more  perfect  pieces  than  had  previously  been  pos¬ 
sible.  The  Vincennes  porcelain  in  the  Morgan  Collection 
is  shown  in  Cases  F  and  G,  the  pieces  most  worthy 
of  attention  being  the  three  rare  figure-groups  of  white 
enameled  porcelain  in  Case  F.  The  manufactory  at 
Vincennes  continued  in  operation  until  1755,  when  for 
reasons  of  convenience  it  was  moved  to  a  better  site  at 
Sevres,  where  the  production  of  porcelain  has  continued 
almost  without  interruption  down  to  the  present  day. 
Beginning  with  Case  H,  the  remaining  specimens  of 
porcelain  were  made  at  Sevres  and  illustrate  the  culmina¬ 
tion  of  ceramic  art  in  France.  The  perfect  potting  of 
these  pieces,  the  rich  and  extraordinary  detail  of  their 

123 


Case  C 

Cases  D,  E 


Cases  F,  G 

Case  H 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
decoration,  and  the  royal  restriction  on  their  general 
circulation — the  product  of  the  factory  being  at  the  dis¬ 
posal  of  the  King— gave  the  ware  enormous  prestige  in 
the  eighteenth  century  and  after.  The  earlier  pieces 
of  Sevres  in  the  Morgan  Collection,  that  is,  those  in  Cases 
H  and  I,  are  of  soft  paste  similar  to  that  of  Vincennes, 
but  about  1770  the  manufacture  of  true  or  hard  paste 
porcelain  was  introduced  at  the  factory  and  superseded 
the  soft  paste  there,  as  elsewhere  on  the  Continent.  Most 
Cases  J  to  Y  of  the  specimens  in  Cases  J  to  Y,  dating  after  1770 
are  of  hard  paste.  The  two  white  statuettes  on  the  top 
Case  H  shelf  in  Case  H  deserve  particular  attention,  as  they 
are  among  the  notable  productions  of  the  Sevres  factory. 
They  are  made  of  biscuit,  that  is,  unglazed  soft  paste, 
and  represent  Madame  de  Pompadour  and  Louis  XV. 
The  figure  of  the  Marquise  bears  the  title  “  L’Amitie  au 
Cceur,  ”  and  was  probably  one  of  the  nineteen  figures 
made  in  1755  at  that  distinguished  lady’s  order,  for  gifts 
to  her  intimate  friends.  The  statuette  of  Louis  XV  was 
not  originally  intended  as  a  companion  piece,  although 
it  is  on  the  same  scale  as  that  of  his  favorite.  The 
figure  of  the  King  is  the  reduction  of  his  statue  at  Rheims 
by  Pigalle,  and  was  executed  a  little  before  1770  as  a  part 
of  a  huge  porcelain  table  decoration  made  for  the  marriage 
banquet  of  the  Dauphin,  later  Louis  XVI,  and  Marie 
Antoinette.  Both  figures  are  mounted  on  decorated 
bases  of  fine  quality.  The  rest  of  the  Sevres  porcelain 

124 


GALLERY  TWENTY 
in  this  gallery  is  ornamental  or  table  ware,  and  shows 
the  various  styles  of  shape  and  decoration  popular  until 
the  Empire. 


125 


GALLERY  TWENTY-ONE 
THE  COLLECTION 
OF  WATCHES 


The  COLLECTION  OF  WATCHES,' 
both  in  quality  and  quantity,  is  the  greatest  collection  of 
such  material  ever  gathered  together.  It  is  composed 
for  the  most  part  of  specimens  from  two  large  private 
collections,  that  of  Carl  Marfels,  one  of  the  most 
expert  students  of  horology  in  Europe,  and  that  of  the 
late  F.  G.  Hilton  Price,  a  most  enthusiastic  collector. 
This  collection  gives  the  student  a  complete  illustration 
not  only  of  the  gradual  and  steady  progress  of  horological 
art,  but  also  of  the  beauty  of  some  of  the  finest  examples 
of  it  in  existence. 

The  industry  of  watchmaking  was  begun  shortly 
after  the  dawn  of  the  sixteenth  century.  Peter  Henlein 
(Hele),  a  locksmith  of  Nuremburg,  invented  a  clock  with 
a  Mainspring,  which  permitted  its  use  in  traveling,  and 
the  demand  for  smaller  portable  timepieces  was  soon 
created.  These  timepieces  were  made  of  iron  and  steel, 

■The  Numbers  on  the  individual  labels  refer  to  the  J.  Pierpont 
Morgan  Catalogue  of  Watches. 


127 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
due,  no  doubt,  to  the  fact  that  they  were  the  works  of 
locksmiths.  The  watches  were  inaccurate,  owing  to  the 
variation  of  the  motive  power  of  the  mainspring.  This 
defect  was  gradually  overcome  through  the  invention  by 
Jacob  Zech,  in  1525,  of  the  Fusee.  This  equalizing  device 
is  in  use  to  the  present  day  and  most  watches  after  1525- 
1550  are  so  made.  No.  103  belongs  to  the  first  period, 
having  been  made  about  1530  in  Nuremburg,  and  is 
consequently  one  of  the  earliest  watches  in  existence. 

Brass  was  next  substituted  for  iron  and  steel,  the  dials 
being  made  of  different  metals,  elaborately  decorated  by 
chasing  or  engraving. 

In  the  year  1585  watchmaking  was  introduced  into 
GEN  EVA  by  one  Charles  Cusin  (No.  3)  who,  though 
he  cannot  be  asserted  to  have  been  actually  the  first  person 
who  made  watches  in  that  city,  nevertheless  was  respon¬ 
sible  for  the  establishment  of  the  industry  which  now 
gives  employment  to  so  many  people  and  world-wide 
fame  to  the  city. 

About  1600  occurs  the  earliest  mention  of  the  oval 
Nuremburg  watch  known  as  the  Nuremburg  Egg, 
represented  bv  Nos.  5,  102  and  others. 

The  WATCH-  AND  CLOCKMAKERS 
OF  PARIS  were  granted  a  charter  by  King  Francis  I 
in  the  year  1544,  and  from  that  time  formed  a  Guild 
with  close  and  rigid  restrictions.  The  collection, 
unhappily,  does  not  contain  any  of  the  works  of  the 

1 28 


TABLE  WATCH 
GERMAN,  NUREMBERG 
XVI  CENTURY 


THREE-SIDED  WATCH 
FRENCH,  LYONS,  XVI 
CENTURY 


WATCH  SET  UPON  A 
FINGER  RING 
MADE  FOR  THE  DUKE  OF 
MANTUA  ABOUT  I  560 
GERMAN,  AUGSBURG,  XVI 
CENTURY 


LIMOGES  ENAMEL  WATCH 
MADE  BY  DAVID  RAMSAY, 

1 6  I  0-2  5 

ENGLISH,  XVII  CENTURY 


ENAMELED  WATCH 

PORTRAIT  OF  FREDERICK  WILLIAM,  ELECTOR  OF  BRANDENBURG 
THE  WORK  OF  JEAN  PIERRE  HUAUD 
GERMAN,  BERLIN,  XVII  CENTURY 


CIRCULAR  ENAMEL  WATCH  WATCH 

ONE-HALF  INCH  IN  DIAMETER  SET  IN  A  LARGE 
GERMAN,  AUGSBURG,  XVII  METAL  CLASP  KNIFE 
CENTURY  FRENCH,  XVIII 

CENTURY 


GOLD  WATCH 
SET  WITH  PEARLS 
PROBABLY  SWISS  OF  THE 
XIX  CENTURY 


GALLERY  TWENTY-ONE 
original  members  of  the  Paris  Guild,  as  it  does  of 
the  English  Clockmakers’  Company.  However,  among 
the  French  watchmakers  of  importance  and  interest 
are  Julien  Le  Roy,  circa  1750  (No.  55),  clockmaker  to 
Louis  XV;  Pierre  Le  Roy,  circa  1780  (No.  56),  his  son, 
of  great  note  after  him;  Judith  Lalement,  circa  1660 
(No.  4),  one  of  the  rare  instances  of  a  woman  watchmaker; 
B.  Cuper,  circa  1600  (No.  7),  a  member  of  the  renowned 
family  which  introduced  watchmaking  into  Blois;  Nicolas 
Bernard,  circa  1580  (No.  23),  a  famous  Parisian  maker, 
and  many  others. 

Following  the  lead  of  their  Parisian  fellow-craftsmen, 
the  ENGLISH  WATCH-  AND  CLOCK- 
MAKERS  obtained  a  charter  in  1631,  from  King 
Charles  I,  which  gave  the  Clockmakers’  Company  compre¬ 
hensive  powers  for  ruling  and  protecting  the  craft. 
David  Ramsay  (No.  129)  was  appointed  first  Master  of 
the  Company  and  among  the  Assistants  who  were  mem¬ 
bers  at  the  time  of  incorporation  were  James  Vautrolier 
(No.  132),  Samuel  Linaker  (No.  133),  Edward  East  (Nos. 
134~37),  John  Midnall  (No.  140),  and  Simon  Bartram 
(No.  141). 

The  Balance  Spring  was  first  introduced  by  Dr. 
Robert  Hooke,  in  1659,  but  the  next  improvement  was 
one  more  generally  appreciable,  namely,  the  addition  of 
the  Concentric  Minute  Hand  in  1691.  Daniel  Quare 
(Nos.  164-66),  clockmaker  to  King  George  I,  not  only 

129 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
first  used  this,  but  had  also,  in  1676,  invented  the  re¬ 
peater  action.  One  other  important  watchmaker,  in  the 
field  of  invention  and  improvement,  was  George  Graham, 
represented  in  the  collection  by  the  dial  of  watch  No. 
163.  He  was  the  inventor  of  the  mercurial  pendulum 
and  the  “dead  beat”  escapement,  and  also  improved  the 
horizontal  cylinder  escapement. 

Other  English  makers  of  prominence  were  Thomas 
Tompion,  1638-1713,  watchmaker  to  King  Charles  11, 
called  the  father  of  English  watchmaking,  who  was  buried 
in  Westminster  Abbey  (Nos.  155-60);  John  Ellicott, 
circa  1760,  inventor  of  the  compensation  lever  pendulum 
(Nos.  187-88);  William  Anthony,  circa  1571,  one  of  the 
earliest  of  British  makers  (No.  125);  Thomas  Alcock, 
circa  1635,  one  of  the  petitioners  for  the  incorporation 
of  the  Clockmakers’  Company  in  1630  (No.  138);  Nicolas 
Vallin,  circa  1650,  maker  of  watch  No.  143,  and  many 
others. 

GERMANY  AND  AUSTRIA  are  not  as  ex¬ 
tensively  represented  as  either  Great  Britain  or  France, 
but  the  examples  are  quite  as  interesting.  David  Busch- 
man,  circa  1640,  an  important  maker  in  Augsburg  (No. 
89);  Jan  Jansen  Bockeltz,  circa  1640,  an  early  watch¬ 
maker  of  Aix-la-Chapelle  (No.  86);  Nicolaus  Rugendas, 
circa  1620,  first  of  an  illustrious  line  of  Augsburg  makers 
(No.  94) ;  Racine,  circa  1686,  the  single  Berlin  watchmaker; 
Johan  Bock,  circa  1620,  a  leader  in  the  Frankfort  trade, 

130 


GOLD  REPEATER  AND  MUSICAL  WATCH 
PRESENTED  BY  NAPOLEON  TO  MURAT  ON  THE 
FETE  DAY  AFTER  THE  BATTLE  OF  MARENGO  IN  l800 
FRENCH,  XIX  CENTURY 


GALLERY  TWENTY-ONE 
among  others,  have  all  contributed  to  the  collection 
examples  of  their  craft. 

SWITZERLAND  AND  ITALY  put  forward 
as  spokesmen.  Diet  Meye,  circa  1 570,  of  Basle,  maker  of 
an  interesting  watch  in  the  shape  of  a  book  (No.  228); 
Jean  Rousseau,  circa  1640,  of  Geneva,  of  the  same  family 
as  the  philosopher  Jean  Jacques  Rousseau  and  Jaques 
Rousseau  the  landscape  painter  (No.  230),  and  J. 
Tramieri,  circa  1600,  of  Turin  (No.  242). 

When  it  comes  to  HOLLAN  D  and  F  LA  N  D  E  R  S 
the  number  is  indeed  limited,  but  from  them  we  select  for 
mention  No.  218,  made  by  Jacob  Ducimin,  circa  1640,  of 
Amsterdam;  No.  220,  made  by  P.  Landre,  circa  1630,  of 
Brussels;  and  No.  222,  made  by  Johannes  Van  Ceulen, 
circa  1680,  of  The  Hague. 

No.  227  resembles  two  watches  in  the  Kremlin 
Museum  to  such  an  extent  that  it  too  may  be  called 
RUSSIAN,  and  assigned  to  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth 
century. 

To  protect  the  enamel  and  other  decorations,  outside 
cases  came  into  use  about  1640.  These  were  made  of 
shagreen,  tortoise-shell,  snake-skin,  etc.,  a  large  number 
of  which  may  be  found  in  the  present  collection. 

About  1780  the  S  e con  d-  H  an  d  was  introduced 
and  shortly  after  Stop-Watches  are  found. 

In  1704  M.  Facie,  of  Geneva,  discovered  the  art  of 
piercing  jewels  for  the  bearings  of  watch-pivots  and  other 

>3i 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
friction  points.  The  Detached  Lever  Escape¬ 
ment  was  invented  by  Thomas  Mudge  in  1765,  and  is 
practically  the  only  movement  now  in  use.  Watch 
C  a  s  e  s  in  repousse,  both  gold  and  silver,  appeared  about 
1650,  the  inner  case  of  plain  metal,  the  second  in  re¬ 
pousse,  and  often  a  third  of  shagreen  or  some  other 
material  to  protect  the  decoration.  Sometimes  a  glass 
back  was  installed  for  the  same  purpose. 

In  the  NINETEENTH  CENTURY  the  out¬ 
side  cases  and  repousse  work  were  abandoned  and  single 
cases  substituted.  These  gradually  came  to  be  without 
ornamentation  of  any  sort — some  engine-turned  and  others 
quite  plain. 

Among  the  Enameled  Watches  are  three  of 
the  rare  painted  Limoges,  of  which  there  are  said  to  be 
only  twelve  in  all  the  European  [museums,  and  of  these, 
six  only  in  their  original  condition.  The  three  in  this 
collection  are:  No.  24,  by  Suzanne  de  Court;  No.  30, 
attributed  to  Martial  Reymond  the  younger;  and 
No.  129  to  some  other  member  of  the  Reymond  fa¬ 
mily. 

Of  the  later  style  of  enameling  (temp.  Louis  XIII), 
there  are  many  excellent  examples:  Nos.  10,  38,  41,  all 
by  unknown  artists;  No.  48,  by  Robert  Vauquer,  one  of 
the  cleverest  craftsmen  in  the  school  of  Blois;  and  Nos. 
77  and  78,  by  Christophe  Morliere,  also  of  Blois,  whose 
work  is  rare. 


132 


GALLERY  TWENTY-ONE 

In  considering  the  work  of  the  brothers  Huaud,  last  of 
a  dynasty  of  Poitiers  goldsmiths,  it  must  be  stated  that 
the  three  do  not  show  equal  talent.  The  highest  place 
must  be  given  to  the  eldest;  his  taste  is  more  refined;  he 
is  nearer  than  the  others  to  the  Golden  Age.  One  may 
search  in  vain  among  the  works  of  Jean  Pierre  or  of  Ami 
for  anything  to  match  Pierre  IPs  best  enamels.  Even 
between  the  productions  of  the  younger  brothers  there  is  a 
distinction  to  be  made.  The  watches  bearing  the  two 
names  together  reach  a  much  higher  standard  than  those 
signed  by  Huaud  le  puisne  alone.  It  is,  therefore,  to 
the  collaboration  of  Ami  that  we  must  impute  the  su¬ 
periority  of  these  pieces  of  work. 

No.  43  Enamel  by  Pierre  (II)  Huaud. 

No.  59  Enamel  by  Ami  Huaud  or  atelier. 

No.  61  Enamel  by  Brothers  Huaud. 

No.  98  Enamel  by  Jean  Pierre  Huaud. 

No.  187  Enamel  by  one  of  the  brothers  at  the  end  of  his  career. 

No.  219  Enamel  by  Jean  Pierre  Huaud. 

No.  235  Enamel  by  Brothers  Huaud. 

Among  the  watches  of  historical  interest  are  the 
following: 

No.  17.  Commissioned  by  the  town  of  Besanjon  as  a  gift  to 
Cardinal  Granvelle,  circa  1564. 

No.  55  Made  for  the  Regent  Philip  of  Orleans. 

No.  64  Made  by  D.  Vauchez  of  Paris  in  1783,  one  of  the  twelve 
made  in  commemoration  of  the  ascent  of  the  first 
Montgolfier  balloon  (only  one  other  known). 

133 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 


No.  87  Made  in  1608  for  the  Duke  of  Mantua. 

No.  13 1  Case  of  a  watch  presented  by  King  James  I  to  the  first 
Lord  Brooke,  circa  1620. 

No.  137  An  “  East”  watch,  one  of  a  type  often  given  as  a  prize  in 
the  tennis  tournament  by  King  Charles  II. 

No.  143  Presented  to  a  Duke  of  Bavaria,  probably  the  famous 
Prince  Rupert  of  the  Great  Civil  War,  on  the  occasion 
of  his  creation  as  a  Knight  of  the  Garter  in  1663. 

No.  177  Bears  the  arms  of  the  Payler  family. 

No.  179  Bears  the  arms  of  Thomas  Windsor,  Viscount  Windsor 
(Ire.,  1699)  and  Baron  Montjoy  (Gt.  Britain,  171 1 ). 

No.  193  Watch  made  in  England  for  the  Turkish  trade. 

No.  207  Belonged  at  one  time  to  the  Emperor  of  China. 

No.  244  Watch  carried  by  Sir  Walter  Scott,  Bart. 

No.  246  Shows  the  monogram  of  Marie  Antoniette. 

B.  M.  D. 


9 


1 34 


GALLERY  TWENTY-TWO 
GERMAN 
PORCELAINS 


1  HE  eighteenth  century  material  is  continued  in  the 
corridor  (Gallery  22)  to  the  east  of  the  court-yard,  although 
the  walls  here  are  hung  with  tapestries  of  much 
earlier  date.  Beginning  at  the  south  end  are  three  Gothic 
pieces,  of  which  that  in  the  middle  is  the  earliest,  dating 
from  the  fifteenth  century,  the  other  two  being  some  fifty 
years  later.  On  the  same  wall  to  the  north  of  the  central 
door  are  two  other  late  Gothic  tapestries,  with  a  third  of 
seventeenth-century  workmanship.  These  hangings,  like 
those  in  the  opposite  corridor,  were  included  in  the  lot 
secured  from  Knole. 

The  cases  in  this  corridor  are  given  over  wholly  to  hard 
paste  porcelain  manufactured  throughout  the  eighteenth 
century  at  Meissen  near  Dresden,  in  Saxony,  and  known, 
therefore,  either  as  Dresden,  Meissen  or  Saxe. 
The  secret  of  true  or  hard  paste  porcelain,  similar  to  the 
Chinese,  was  discovered,  as  briefly  described  above,  at 
Dresden  about  1707  by  J.  F.  Bottger,  an  alchemist  in  the 
service  of  Augustus  the  Second,  the  Elector  of  Saxony. 

135 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
After  producing  various  experimental  wares,  Bottger  was 
established  at  Meissen  in  1710,  where  he  began  under  royal 
protection  the  regular  manufacture  of  hard  paste  porcelain, 
decorated  in  the  Chinese  manner.  Under  various  directors 
the  factory  continued  to  produce  ornamental  and  useful 
pieces  throughout  the  century  and  down  to  the  present 
time,  always  with  the  sanction  and  support  of  the  govern¬ 
ment.  The  Morgan  collection  contains  little  besides 
examples  of  the  decorative  figures  characteristic  of  the 
best  period  of  the  works,  although  the  tea  set  in  Cases  A 
and  B  is  a  fine  and  early  specimen  of  the  table  ware  made 
by  the  factory.  There  is,  however,  no  other  private 
collection  in  existence  which  approaches  this  assemblage 
of  ornamental  statuettes  or  figurines,  which  were  the  most 
characteristic  Meissen  production,  and  one  of  the  most 
typical  expressions  of  the  age.  These  tiny,  impertinent, 
and  frivolous  bits  of  sculpture  represent  more  completely 
perhaps  than  any  other  phase  of  art  the  thought  and  feeling 
of  a  period  which  made  artificiality  a  supreme  virtue,  folly 
a  fine  art,  and  the  inconsequential  the  chief  end  of  exis¬ 
tence.  The  miniature  ladies  in  flowered  crinolines, 
attended  by  irresponsible  gentlemen,  equally  gay,  are  the 
most  expressive  pieces  in  the  entire  collection,  although 
the  fanciful  and  grotesque  subjects  in  Case  E,  the  pastoral 
in  Case  C,  the  allegorical  in  Case  K,  the  Italian  comedies 
in  Case  P,  and  the  Rococo  extravagancies  in  Case  O  all 
illustrate  phases  of  the  thought  and  fashion  of  the  day. 

136 


STATUETTE  AND  TWO  FLOWER  POTS 
GERMAN,  MEISSEN,  XVIII  CENTURY 


GROUP  OF  PHEASANTS  AND  A  BASKET  OF  FLOWERS 
GERMAN,  MEISSEN,  XVIII  CENTURY 


GALLERY  TWENTY -TWO 
The  pieces  have  been  arranged  in  a  general  chronological 
order,  although  such  arrangement  is  only  appoxrimate, 
owing  to  the  fact  that  older  types  were  frequently  repeated 
at  later  periods,  and  a  piece  originally  modeled  in  the  first 
part  of  the  century  may  in  actual  workmanship  date  from 
the  end  of  the  epoch. 

A  few  specimens  of  German  porcelain  made  at  other 
factories  than  Meissen  are  placed  in  the  wall  case  (R)  at  the 
right  of  the  door  leading  into  the  Miniature  Room.  Over¬ 
head  hangs  a  Persian  rug  of  the  type  called  Ispahan, 
but  really  manufactured  at  Herat  early  in  the  seventeenth 
century. 


137 


GALLERY  TWENTY-THREE 


GALLERY  TWENTY-THREE 
THE  COLLECTION  OF  MINIATURES 


GALLERY  TWENTY-THREE 
THE  COLLECTION  OF 
MINIATURES 


1  HE  numbers  on  the  labels  refer  to  the  catalogue  of 
the  collection  of  miniatures  prepared  by  Dr.  G.  C.  Wil¬ 
liamson,  and  the  attributions  of  subjects  and  artists  fol¬ 
low  this  catalogue  in  all  cases.  In  it  the  anecdotal  and 
personal  side  is  generously  treated,  and  those  who  have 
the  desire  will  find  that  this  information  will  add  to  the 
pleasure  and  interest  of  the  collection.  One  of  the  de¬ 
lightful  aspects  of  this  art  is  its  close  connection  with 
history  and  manners,  the  intimacy  with  sitters  and  owners 
which  these  little  portraits  reveal.  This  is  particularly 
the  case,  as  in  the  present  instance,  when  many  of  the 
works  represent  historical  characters  or  were  owned  by 
famous  people. 

The  collection  contains,  with  a  few  exceptions,  examples 
of  all  the  well-known  practitioners  of  portrait  miniature 
painting  from  the  time  when  it  became  an  independent 
expression  down  to  the  middle  of  the  last  century,  and  in 
most  cases  the  artists  are  represented  by  works  of  first 
importance.  Nothing  earlier  than  the  sixteenth  century 

•39 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
is  included.  The  portrait  miniatures  made  before  that 
time  occur  as  incidental  parts  of  pictures  whose  principal 
themes  were  not  concerned  with  portraiture,  or  else  were 
painted  as  decorations  in  illuminated  manuscripts.  The 
early  stages  of  the  art  may  be  traced  in  the  devotional 
books  of  the  middle  ages.  Portrait  miniatures  begin  to 
appear  in  the  Psalters,  the  Breviaries,  the  Books  of  Hours, 
as  far  back  as  the  latter  part  of  the  thirteenth  century, 
a  manifestation  of  the  naturalism  which  was  the  supreme 
characteristic  of  the  Gothic  period,  when  the 
portrait,  whether  of  persons  or  things,  was  rediscovered  by 
Modern  Art.  The  Credo,  executed  about  1287,  at  the 
direction  of  the  Sire  de  Joinville,  contains  a  likeness  of 
Saint  Louis,  and  from  this  time  onward,  living  people  serve 
as  models  and  features  were  individualized  with  increasing 
power  and  more  careful  finish  up  to  the  summit  of  the 
illuminating  art  with  the  great  Netherland  masters  and 
Jean  Foucquet.  Miniatures  in  books  disappeared  with  the 
introduction  of  printing,  but  at  the  same  time  was  invented 
the  miniature  in  the  modern  sense — which  might  be  de¬ 
fined  as  a  portrait  on  a  small  scale,  combined  with  some¬ 
thing  of  the  ornamental  quality  of  a  jewel— a  quality  often 
enhanced  by  the  goldsmith’s  setting  of  precious  metals, 
enamels,  or  rare  stones.  Holbein,  the  greatest  of  them 
all,  and  the  Clouets  were  the  first  consistent  exponents 
of  the  modern  miniature,  and  at  this  point  the  Morgan 
collection  begins. 


140 


HENRY  VIII 
HOLBEIN,  I497-I543 


CHARLES  DE  COSSE 
MARECHAL  DE  BRISSAC 
JEAN  CLOUET 
EARLY  XVI  CENTURY 


MRS.  PEMBERTON 
HOLBEIN,  I497-I543 


GALLERY  TWENTY-THREE 

The  earliest  examples  are  found  in  the  cases  and  frames 
at  the  center  of  the  north  wall  opposite  the  columns. 
Being  so  close  to  the  common  source,  the  miniatures  of 
the  sixteenth  century,  in  either  England  or  France,  dis¬ 
close  no  great  divergence  of  general  intention  or  tech¬ 
nical  methods.  Soon  after,  however,  the  national  traits 
begin  to  make  themselves  felt,  and  this  fact  is  emphasized 
by  the  arrangement  of  the  collection,  the  English 
school  proceeding  from  the  center  toward  the  right,  and 
the  French  toward  the  left.  In  the  middle  of  the  north 
wall  is  a  small  frame  (No.  18)  containing  twelve  mini¬ 
atures,  ten  by  Holbein  or  his  contemporaries.  Here  is 
a  famous  portrait  of  Henry  VIII  (No.  2),  supposed  to 
be  the  miniature  painted  for  the  King  and  given  by  him 
to  Anne  of  Cleves  in  1539.  With  it  is  its  ivory  case 
engraved  with  the  Tudor  rose.  Other  works  of  extreme 
importance  in  this  frame  are  No.  4,  a  portrait  of  a  lady 
of  the  Pemberton  family,  set  in  a  black  and  white  enamel 
frame  with  pearl  pendants,  the  portrait  of  Sir  Thomas 
More,  and  the  interesting  though  somewhat  damaged 
Thomas  Cromwell,  all  by  Holbein. 

At  this  time  the  miniatures  in  water  color  were  painted 
on  vellum,  paper,  or  cardboard.  The  backs  of  playing 
cards  were  often  used,  as  is  seen  in  many  cases  where  the 
reverse  is  visible. 

The  miniatures  of  Nicholas  Hilliard  are 
distinguished  for  the  cleanness  and  precision  of  the  work- 

141 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
manship,  qualities  inherited  from  Holbein.  He  is  essen¬ 
tially  a  craftsman.  Excellent  examples  by  him  are 
Frame  18  shown  in  Case  18.  A  portrait  of  Mary  Queen  of  Scots 
by  an  unknown  painter  is  in  the  center  of  this  case. 
According  to  the  inscription  on  either  side  of  the  head, 
the  work  was  painted  in  1 564  in  the  lady’s  twenty- 
third  year.  It  is  in  its  original  frame  of  carved  oak,  and 
has  on  its  back  the  C.  R.  of  Charles  II,  showing  that  it 
at  one  time  belonged  to  that  monarch.  Miniatures  by 
Lavinia  Teerlinc  are  also  shown  here.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  Simon  Benninck,  the  famous  illuminator,  and 
for  many  yearsAvas  a  popular  artist  in  London. 

Case  16  Isaac  Oliver  was  the  next  prominent  miniaturist. 

His  work  is  marked  by  stronger  characterization  than 
Hilliard’s,  from  whom,  and  Zucchero,  who  visited  Lon¬ 
don  in  1574,  his  work  derives.  He  is  splendidly  rep¬ 
resented  in  this  collection,  seven  or  eight  of  the  works 
by  him  being  of  extreme  importance.  Among  these 
may  be  mentioned  No.  41,  Philip  II,  King  of  Spain, 
in  a  rock  crystal  locket  enameled  on  the  sides;  No. 
43,  Queen  Anne  of  Denmark;  No.  47,  Sir  Philip 
Sidney;  No.  48,  Lord  Brooke;  Nos.  49  and  54,  portraits 
of  Robert  Devereux,  Earl  of  Essex.  Of  this  favorite  of 
Queen  Elizabeth’s  old  age,  there  are  five  portraits.  In 
this  case  also  are  works  by  Simon  van  de  Passe,  the  well- 
known  Dutch  engraver,  who  went  to  London  about  1615. 

Peter  Oliver,  who  was  highly  praised  by  Walpole, 

142 


VISCOUNT  CAMPDEN 
AFTERWARDS  EARL  OF  GAINSBOROUGH 
SAMUEL  COOPER,  1609-1672 


GALLERY  TWENTY-THREE 
was  the  pupil  of  his  father,  Isaac  Oliver.  He  was  em¬ 
ployed  by  Charles  I  to  make  copies  in  miniature  of 
the  pictures  in  the  royal  collection  at  Whitehall.  What 
is  evidently  one  of  these  (No.  70)  is  shown  in  Frame 
15.  It  is  a  reproduction  of  a  Marriage  of  St.  Catharine 
which  has  not  been  traced,  but  evidently  by  Titian 
or  one  of  his  school.  Examples  of  his  portraiture,  in 
which  he  displays  less  vitality  than  his  father,  are  also 
shown.  An  excellent  work  in  this  frame  is  No.  76,  by 
an  unknown  painter,  a  German  probably. 

In  John  Hoskins’  work  the  influence  of  Van 
Dyck  begins  to  make  itself  felt.  In  the  ease  of  posture 
and  the  fuller  modelling  with  which  he  endowed  his 
portraits  are  evidences  of  the  polish  and  suavity  which 
was  taking  the  place  of  the  cruder  manners  and  more 
austere  taste  of  Tudor  and  Jacobean  times.  His  name 
must  be  placed  among  the  best  of  his  craft,  as  is 
proved  by  No.  83,  the  Earl  of  Callender;  No.  87,  Sir 
Charles  Lucas;  No.  90,  Portrait  of  a  Gentleman,  and 
others.  His  work  prefigures  the  greater  accomplishment 
of  his  famous  nephew  and  pupil,  whose  art  will  be  next 
considered. 

Peter  Cooper,  of  whom  Walpole  said,  “If  a  glass 
could  expand  Cooper’s  pictures  to  the  size  of  Van  Dyck’s, 
they  would  appear  to  have  been  painted  to  that  pro¬ 
portion,”  is  generally  considered  to  be  the  greatest  English 
exponent  of  miniature  portrait  painting.  None  of  those 

>43 


Frame  15 


Frame  14 


Case  13 


Frames 

12-11 


Frames 

10-9 


Frame  8 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
who  came  after  can  approach  him  in  virility — it  is  only 
with  the  Olivers  and  Hoskins  that  he  can  be  compared, 
Holbein  being  not  English  and  as  a  matter  of  course  in 
a  class  quite  apart.  Cooper’s  miniatures  are  frankly 
founded  on  Van  Dyck’s  paintings,  but  he  has  succeeded 
in  conveying  to  us  something  of  the  sternness  and  de¬ 
cision  of  the  men  of  the  Commonwealth,  and  was  able 
also  to  portray  ladies  without  falling  into  insipidity — a 
rare  quality  indeed  among  his  successors.  Among  so 
many  excellent  specimens  of  Cooper’s  art,  it  would  be 
difficult  to  select  the  most  important,  so  the  visitor’s 
attention  is  confidently  recommended  to  the  consideration 
of  all. 

After  Cooper,  miniature  painting  deteriorated  rapidly. 
Greenhill,  Flatman,  Dixon,  Lawrence  Crosse,  and  Bernard 
Leus  are  the  best  known  names  of  the  late  seventeenth  and 
early  eighteenth  century. 

These  frames  (Nos.  10  and  9)  contain  examples  of 
various  artists  of  lesser  reputation  of  the  eighteenth  cen¬ 
tury.  Ivory  now  takes  the  important  place  as  the 
material  on  which  miniatures  were  painted. 

The  work  of  Ozias  Humphrey  fills  this  frame, 
and  several  examples  are  also  in  Frame  5.  These  are 
mostly  portraits  of  the  Sackville  family,  some  done  from 
life  and  others  from  old  portraits.  Humphrey  was  aided 
in  his  practice  by  the  advice  of  Reynolds,  and  his  work 
is  more  vigorous  than  that  of  his  fellows. 


144 


GALLERY  TWENTY-THREE 

The  miniaturist  who  won  the  greatest  popularity  in 
this  time  and  who  has  kept  it  to  our  day  is  RichardCos- 
way.  This  popularity  is  inevitable,  given  the  qualities 
of  his  art,  a  great  facility  in  the  combination  of  vaguely 
idealized  forms,  pleasing  colors,  sweet  expressions,  and 
pretty  clothes.  It  cannot  be  claimed  that  his  likenesses 
are  ever  convincing,  but  no  one  knew  better  than  he  how 
to  put  liquid  and  sparkling  eyes  in  a  soft  face  surrounded 
by  fluffy  hair,  or  creamy,  tinted  necks  escaping  from  deli¬ 
cate  tulle  and  gauzy  ruffles,  or  how  to  confection  back¬ 
grounds  of  pale  opal  or  pearly  sky.  These  are  the  founda¬ 
tions  on  which,  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  years,  his  fame 
has  rested  immovable,  and  so  long  as  the  love  for  these 
things  lasts  will  Cosway  remain  one  of  the  great  favorites. 
Of  the  large  number  of  Cosway’s  productions,  it  is  difficult 
to  single  out  any  for  particular  comment,  so  even  and 
regular  is  their  accomplishment.  Attention  might  be 
called  to  the  pencil  drawings  slightly  tinted  (Nos.  293, 
294,  295,  297)  in  Frame  6,  which  testify  that  it  was  not 
alone  his  use  of  ivory  that  he  depended  upon  for  his 
delicate  shades  and  velvet  finish.  Several  Cosways  are 
also  in  Frame  5. 

The  followers  of  Cosway’s  style  and  success  were  the 
Plimers  and  Engleheart,  though  they  never  equaled  their 
model’s  skill.  ANDREW  PLIMER  is  the  most 
famous.  His  sitters  are  sweetly  similar;  they  are  all 
sisters,  one  would  say,  with  a  strong  family  resemblance. 

145 


Frame  6 
Case  7 


Frame  4 
Case  3 
Frame  1 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
ENGLEHEART  has  comparatively  more  vitality,  but 
characterization  was  not  popular  with  any  of  these  fashion¬ 
able  artists.  Two  miniatures  by  Lawrence  and  one  by 
Raeburn  are  in  Frame  i. 

*******  **** 

The  history  of  miniature  painting  on  the  Continent 
does  not  present  the  same  continuity  of  record  as  in 
England,  where  its  patronage  has  persisted  pretty  regu¬ 
larly  from  the  time  of  Henry  VIII.  The  Clouets  at  about 
the  time  of  Holbein  introduced  the  art  into  France,  but 
it  was  not  until  the  seventeenth  century  with  the  enamelers 
of  the  region  of  Louis  XIV  that  France  produced  anything 
which  could  be  called  a  national  school.  Miniatures 
were  produced  in  the  early  time  in  Germany,  the  Nether- 
land  countries,  Italy,  and  Spain,  but  as  a  rule  these  were 
not  done  by  specialists,  but  by  painters  who  were  prac¬ 
tising  other  branches. 

Case  19  Early  miniatures  executed  on  the  Con¬ 
tinent  are  shown  in  Case  20,  where  they  har¬ 
monize  satisfactorily  with  the  Hilliards  and  the  Isaac 
Olivers,  their  neighbors.  Here  are  interesting  examples 
by  the  Clouets  and  others.  One  of  the  gems  of  the 
collection  is  Charles  de  Cosse,  Comte  de  Brissac 
(No.  383),  ascribed  to  Jean  Clouet,  to  whom  is  also 
attributed  the  excellent  portrait  of  the  Comte  de  la 
Rochefoucault  (No.  390).  Two  portraits  by  Ludger 

146 


GALLERY  TWENTY-THREE 
Tom  Ring  (Nos.  402  and  403),  enclosed  in  an  ivory  box, 
are  shown  in  this  case. 

Paintings  in  enamel  by  the  Petitots,  father  and 
son,  miniaturists  of  importance  in  the  reign  of  Louis 
XIV,  are  shown  in  Frames  20  and  21.  As  was 
customary,  these  enamels  are  frequently  copies  of 
other  portraits.  Jean  Petitot’s  work  is  in  Frame  21 
in  the  center  of  which  is  a  miniature  in  water  color 
which  is  attributed  to  him.  The  enamels,  however, 
particularly  the  smaller  ones,  are  more  characteristic, 
Enamels  by  the  son,  Jean  Louis  Petitot,  are  shown  in 
Frame  19,  which  exhibit  about  the  same  grade  of  accom¬ 
plishment. 

Works  by  or  after  Larcilliere,  Nattier, 
and  J.  B.  Van  Loo  are  exhibited  in  Frame  22. 

The  fashion  of  making  presents  of  decorated  snuff  boxes 
and  bonbonnteres  stimulated  the  patronage  of  the  minia¬ 
ture  painters,  and  the  number  of  them  in  France  in 
the  eighteenth  century  was  fully  as  great  as  in  England. 
Prettiness  and  charming  frivolity  were  the  qualities 
most  in  demand  for  the  decoration  of  these  little  gift 
boxes.  Several  are  shown  in  Case  23,  all  decorated 
with  portraits  of  ladies,  one  of  which,  representing  Marie 
Antoinette,  is  attributed  to  Hall,  the  Swedish  artist  who 
occupied  in  France  the  same  position  of  popularity  that 
was  Cosway’s  in  England.  Most  of  the  works  by  Hall, 
which  the  collection  contains,  are  placed  in  Frame  24. 


Frames 
19-  2 1 


Frame  22 


Case  23 


Frame  24 


147 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
His  contemporary  fame  was  enormous  and  justly  so, 
as  he  was  far  superior  to  his  professional  competitors. 
In  his  day  he  was  called,  like  Cooper  the  Van  Dyck  of 
the  miniature,  and  the  critics  thought  his  portraits 
of  men  even  more  successful  than  those  of  ladies — no 
mean  distinction  among  the  professional  miniaturists  of 
the  eighteenth  century.  Most  of  his  sitters  were  ladies, 
however,  and  the  portraits  here  exhibited  of  Mme.  Favart 
(No.  497),  A  Lady  (No.  498),  Mme.  Elizabeth  (No.  499), 
and  several  others  testify  to  the  extent  of  his  talent. 

Frame  25  A  successful  male  portrait  is  in  Frame  25,  Rabbi  Ben 
Israel  (No.  512). 

An  outcome  of  the  demand  for  decorated  snuff  boxes 
was  the  form  of  miniature  painting  which  took  landscapes 
or  festivals  crowded  with  tiny  figures  for  subjects.  The 
van  Blarenberghe  family  of  Franco-Flemish  origin  were 
the  chief  exponents  of  this  branch.  Four  examples  of 
these  microscopic  pictures,  representing  park  scenes,  are 
in  Frame  25.  Two  other  pictures  by  these  artists  are 
shown  elsewhere,  of  which  the  Village  Festival,  No.  517  in 
Frame  27,  is  the  most  interesting  on  account  of  its  subject. 

Fragonard’s  miniatures  are  the  most  distin¬ 
guished  of  the  eighteenth  century.  He  was  unhampered 
by  the  petty  traditions  which  seemed  inseparable  from 
the  art  in  that  time,  and  painted  his  little  portraits 
in  the  same  manner  as  he  did  the  large  ones.  His 
miniatures  are  very  rare,  but  several  examples  are 

148 


GALLERY  TWENTY-THREE 
shown  in  Case  29,  and  these  display  the  piquancy  and 
spontaneity  of  his  style.  The  Young  Man  (No.  542), 
A  Boy  (No.  538),  A  Young  Girl  (No.  540),  A  Young  Girl 
(No.  547),  might  be  suggested  as  worthy  of  particular 
attention. 

Examples  by  Dumont,  who  is  regarded  as  one  of 
the  important  miniaturists,  are  in  Frame  36.  In  his 
work,  that  of  his  pupil  Isabey,  and  in  that  of  Augustin, 
the  influence  of  David  is  manifest.  They  belong  to  the 
Revolution  and  the  Empire,  and  the  classicism  that  these 
times  adopted  in  reaction  against  the  frivolity  of  the 
Ancien  Regime  is  apparent  in  their  productions.  Isabey 
lived  until  1855,  and  during  his  long  career  he  painted 
many  celebrated  people,  as  will  be  shown  by  the  names 
on  the  labels  of  these  examples.  Paper  was  for  him  a 
more  sympathetic  medium  than  ivory,  and  though  his 
finish  is  not  broad,  his  work  is  never  petty  in  concep¬ 
tion.  Some  of  the  excellence  of  David  as  a  portraitist 
is  retained  in  the  output  of  these  three  artists. 

One  of  the  distinctions  of  the  Morgan  collection  is 
its  representation  of  J.  B.  Augustin,  by  whom  it 
contains  75  examples,  including  paintings,  drawings  and 
sketches;  so  that  the  progress  of  his  work  may  be  traced 
from  the  first  rough  sketches  through  the  elaborate  draw¬ 
ing,  the  start  of  painting,  to  the  completed  portrait. 
These  drawings  elucidate  his  methods,  as  volumes  of  ex¬ 
planation  would  fail  to  do.  Such  an  important  showing 

149 


Case  29 


Frame  36 


Case  34 


Cases 
38,  39,  40 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
of  one  of  the  greatest  exponents  of  the  latter  phase  of 
the  art,  who  practised  according  to  its  inherited  con¬ 
ventions,  should  prove  of  especial  value  to  those  artists 
of  to-day  who  are  striving  so  earnestly  to  win  back  for 
their  craft  the  consideration  with  which  it  was  regarded 
during  more  than  two  centuries  of  its  history. 

Six  pictures  of  the  eighteenth  century  are  hanging  in 
this  room.  They  are  as  follows: 

Mademoiselle  Helvetius,  later  Comtesse  de 
Mun,  by  F.  H.  Drouais.  She  was  Elizabeth  Char¬ 
lotte,  daughter  of  Claude  Adrian  Helvetius.  The  picture 
was  acquired  from  the  Marquis  de  Mun,  the  great-grand¬ 
son  of  the  sitter. 

A  Lady  Ironing,  by  Henry  and  George 
Morland.  In  the  catalogue  of  the  Morland  Gallery, 
which  was  sold  by  its  owner,  Charles  Chatfield,  in  1807. 
this  picture  is  entered  as  follows:  “Woman  Ironing. 
The  admirers  of  (George)  Morland  will  feel  a  particular 
interest  in  this  portrait  commenced  by  his  father  and 
finished  by  himself.” 

Duchess  of  Gloucester,  by  Reynolds. 
Mary  Walpole,  Countess  of  Waldegrave,  afterwards 
Duchess  of  Gloucester,  was  born  in  1736.  This  portrait 
was  painted  about  1764,  after  the  death  of  Earl  Walde¬ 
grave,  and  Walpole  comments  on  “the  picture  of  the  fair 
widow  leaning  her  head  on  her  hand  and  looking  upward 
as  if  for  consolation  and  strength.” 


150 


GALLERY  TWENTY-THREE 

Madame  de  Pompadour,  by  Carle  Van  Loo, 

Jeanne  Antoinette  Poisson  was  born  in  Paris  in  1721,  and 

married  to  C.  G.  Borromee  le  Normant  in  1741.  In  1745 

she  was  installed  at  Versailles  as  the  mistress  of  Louis  XV 

with  the  title  of  Marquise  de  Pompadour.  The  portrait 

was  painted  in  1750,  and  belonged  to  Abel  Francois 

Poisson,  Marquis  de  Marigny,  the  brother  of  the  sitter, 
* 

and  was  sold  at  auction  in  1782  for  144  livres.  The 
Marquise  is  represented  in  a  pretended  rustic  costume, 
and  holding  a  basket  of  flowers.  The  engraving  by 
Anselin  after  this  picture  was  called  La  Belle  Jardiniere. 
The  portrait  shows  a  woman  past  her  youth,  and  not¬ 
withstanding  the  painter’s  evident  flattery,  the  face  is  that 
of  one  who  tries  to  hide  the  effects  of  age. 

La  Devideuse,  by  J.  B.  Greuze.  This  picture 
was  exhibited  at  the  Salon  of  1759  under  the  caption: 
La  Devideuse  appartenant  k  M.  le  Marquis  de  Bandol. 
At  one  time  it  formed  part  of  the  noted  collection  of 
Monsieur  La  Live  de  Jully. 

Madame  de  Mondonville,  by  Maurice 
Quentin  de  la  Tour.  Madame  de  Mondonville 
was  born  in  1708  and  married  Jean  Joseph  Cassanea  de 
Mondonville,  the  superintendent  of  music  at  the  chapel 
of  Versailles.  In  the  portrait  she  leans  on  a  clavichord, 
and  the  book  of  music  back  of  her  is  inscribed:  Pieces 
de  Clavecin  de  Madame  de  Mondonville.  The  picture 
comes  from  the  collection  of  M.  Eudoxe  Marcille,  a 

151 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
connoisseur  of  the  last  century,  who  with  the  de  Goncourts 
and  a  few  others  interested  himself  in  the  then  despised 
art  of  the  eighteenth  century.  The  portrait  of  Madame 
de  Mondonville  is  painted  in  pastel.  It  was  one  of  the 
eighteen  exhibits  of  La  Tour  at  the  Salon  of  1753. 

The  tapestry  which  is  placed  on  the  north  wall  is  one 
of  a  set  of  three  Beauvais  tapestries,  of  which  the  two 
others  hang  in  Gallery  18  under  which  heading  it  is 
commented  upon. 


152 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


CATALOGUES  OF  THE 
J.  PIERPONT  MORGAN 
COLLECTIONS 


Al  RTIN  ,  Yacoub  Pasha.  Description  de  quatre  lampes 
en  verre  emaille  et  armoriees,  appartenant  &  J.  P. 
Morgan.  (From  Bulletin  de  l’Institut  egyptien. 
5e  ser.  v.  i,  p.  69-92.  6  pi.  and  col.  pi.) 

Bode,  Wilhelm.  Collection  of  J.  Pierpont  Morgan: 
Bronzes  of  the  Renaissance  and  subsequent  periods; 
introduction  and  description  by  Wilhelm  Bode. 
Paris  1910. 

Folio.  2  v.  162  pi.  and  col.  pi. 

Bush  ell,  Stephen  Wootton.  Catalogue  of  the  Mor¬ 
gan  collection  of  Chinese  porcelains,  by  S.  W. 
Bushell  and  W.  M.  Laffan.  N.  Y.  1907. 

Octavo.  82  +  195  p.  77  pi. 

Chavagnac,  X.  comte  de.  Catalogue  des  porce- 
laines  francaises  de  M.  J.  Pierpont  Morgan;  [pub. 
sous  la  direction  de  M.  le  comte  X.  de  Chavagnac.] 
Paris  1910. 

Folio.  7  +  163  p.  50  col.  pi. 


155 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
Froehner,  C.  E.  L.  W.  Collection  Julian  Greau, 
appartenant  h  J.  P.  Morgan.  Paris  1903. 

Folio.  [6]  +  309  p.  Recueil  des  planches,  5  v. 
363  col.  lith.  pi. 

James,  M.  R.  Catalogue  of  manuscripts  and  early 
printed  books  from  the  libraries  of  William  Morris, 
Richard  Bennett,  Bertram,  fourth  earl  of  Ash- 
burnham,  and  other  sources  now  forming  portion 
of  the  library  of  J.  Pierpont  Morgan.  Manuscripts. 
London  1906. 

Folio.  19  +210  p.  44  photogravure  and  col.  pi. 
Johns,  C.  H.  W.  Cuneiform  inscriptions.  Chaldean, 
Babylonian  and  Assyrian  collections  contained  in 
the  library  of  J.  Pierpont  Morgan.  N.  Y.  1908. 
Octavo.  61  p.  ill.  1  pi. 

Johns,  C.  H.  W.  Ur-Engur,  a  bronze  of  the  fourth 
millennium  in  the  library  of  J.  Pierpont  Morgan 
N.  Y.  1908. 

Duo-decimo.  38  p.  21  pi. 

Jones,  E.  Alfred.  Catalogue  of  the  Gutman  collec¬ 
tion  of  plate,  now  the  property  of  J.  P.  Morgan. 
London  1907. 

Folio.  23  p.  53  lithog.  pi. 

Jones,  E.  Alfred.  Illustrated  catalogue  of  the  collec¬ 
tion  of  old  plate  of  J.  Pierpont  Morgan,  Esq.,  by 
E.  A.  Jones.  London  1908. 

Folio.  54  p.  +  108  f.  97  pi. 

156 


B  I  BLIOGRAPH Y 

K  o  n  o  d  y  ,  Paul  George.  Die  kunsthistorische  sammlung 
Pierpont  Morgans.  (In  Kunst  und  kunsthandwerk. 
1903.  v.  6,  p.  148-160,  ill.) 

La  f fan,  William  Mackay.  Catalogue  of  the  Morgan 
collection  of  Chinese  porcelains,  by  W.  M.  Laffan, 
with  the  collaboration  of  S.  W.  Bushell,  and  Thomas 
B.  Clarke.  N.  Y.  1904-11. 

Octavo.  2  v.  158  col.  pi. 

Murray,  C.  Fairfax.  Collection  of  J.  Pierpont  Mor¬ 
gan;  two  Lombard  sketch  books  in  the  collection 
formed  by  C.  Fairfax  Murray.  London,  n.  d. 
Folio.  [10]  p.  75  pi.  3  facsim. 

Perate,  Andre,  and  Brie  re,  Gaston.  Col¬ 
lections  Georges  Hoentschel,  acquises  par  J.  P. 
Morgan;  notices  de  Andre  Perate  et  Gaston  Briere. 
Paris  1908. 

Sixteen  mo.  4  v.  268  pi.  and  col.  pi. 

Pollard,  Alfred  William.  Catalogue  of  manuscripts 
and  early  printed  books  from  the  libraries  of  William 
Morris,  Richard  Bennett,  Bertram,  fourth  earl  of 
Ashburnham,  and  other  sources  now  forming  por¬ 
tion  of  the  library  of  J.  Pierpont  Morgan. London  19 
3  v.  ill.  5  pi.  and  col.  pi. 

Ricci,  Seymour  de.  Catalogue  of  a  collection  of  Gallo- 
Roman  antiquities  belonging  to  J.  Pierpont  Mor¬ 
gan;  compiled  by  Seymour  de  Ricci.  Paris  1911. 
Quarto.  43  +  [12]  p.  28  pi. 


157 


THE  MORGAN  COLLECTION 
Ricci,  Seymour  de.  Catalogue  of  a  collection  of 

Germanic  antiquities  belonging  to  J.  Pierpont 
Morgan;  compiled  by  Seymour  de  Ricci.  Paris 
1910. 

Quarto.  36  p.  32  pi. 

Ricci,  Seymour  de.  Catalogue  of  a  collection  of 

Merovingian  antiquities  belonging  to  J.  Pierpont 
Morgan;  compiled  by  Seymour  de  Ricci.  Paris 
1910. 

Quarto.  50  p.  20  pi. 

Roberts,  William.  Mr.  J.  Pierpont  Morgan’s  pic¬ 
tures;  the  English  school.  (In  The  Connoisseur. 
1906.  v.  16,  p.  67-74,  1 3 5—  1 43 ;  1907.  v.  17,  p. 
71-77,  21 5-221.) 

Roberts,  William.  Pictures  in  the  collection  of  J. 
Pierpont  Morgan  at  Princes  Gate  and  Dover  House, 
London;  with  an  introduction  by  T.  Humphry 
Ward  and  biographical  and  descriptive  notes  by 
W.  Roberts.  London  1907. 

Folio.  [3]  v.  89  photogravure  and  col.  pi. 

Williamson,  George  Charles.  Catalogue  of  the 
collection  of  jewels  and  precious  works  of  art,  the 
property  of  J.  Pierpont  Morgan;  com,  i!  1  by  G.  C. 
Williamson.  London  1910. 

Folio.  27  +  183  p.  '  94  pi.  (inch  46  col.  ph). 

.58 


B  I  BLIOGRAPHY 

Williamson,  George  Charles.  Catalogue  of  the 

collection  of  miniatures,  the  property  of  J.  Pierpont 
Morgan;  compiled  at  his  request  by  G.  C.  William¬ 
son.  London  1906-08. 

Folio.  4  v.  187  pi.  (inch  88  col.  pi.). 

Williamson,  George  Charles.  Catalogue  of  the 

collection  of  watches,  the  property  of  J.  Pierpont 
Morgan;  compiled  at  his  request  by  G.  C.  Wil¬ 
liamson.  London  1912. 

Folio.  62  +  244  p.  92  photogravure  and  col.  pi. 


159 


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